as in libel
the making of false statements that damage another's reputation
accused the newspaper columnist of defamation of character
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Recent Examples of defamation
One of those men, Brian Musgrave, sued Mace for defamation in March.
—
Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 May 2025
The conservative cable network says the documents are crucial to its defense in the defamation lawsuit.
—Marshall Cohen, CNN Money, 14 May 2025
After the 2020 election, Fox took her off the air because her promotion of the false contention Dominion voting machines rigged the election against Trump became part of its $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox.
Pirro and Martin are not the only dubious department appointees.
—Carl Leubsdorf, Mercury News, 16 May 2025
Baldoni, 41, denied the claims, filing a $400 million countersuit of his own, accusing Lively and others of defamation and extortion.
—Jen Juneau, People.com, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for defamation
Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 May 2025
The conservative cable network says the documents are crucial to its defense in the defamation lawsuit.
—Marshall Cohen, CNN Money, 14 May 2025
After the 2020 election, Fox took her off the air because her promotion of the false contention Dominion voting machines rigged the election against Trump became part of its $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox.
Pirro and Martin are not the only dubious department appointees.
—Carl Leubsdorf, Mercury News, 16 May 2025
Baldoni, 41, denied the claims, filing a $400 million countersuit of his own, accusing Lively and others of defamation and extortion.
—Jen Juneau, People.com, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for defamation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defamation
libel
Noun
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The libel lawsuit was settled within weeks, CNN reported, with the website issuing a retraction and acknowledging that Kardashian had in fact been robbed at gunpoint.—
Christie D’Zurilla,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2025
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In December, Baldoni sued The New York Times for libel following the newspaper’s publication of an article detailing Lively’s accusations.—
Chloe Melas,
NBC news,
10 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defamation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defamation. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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