The uttering of slanderous words with a view to injure anothers reputation; the malicious uttering of falsehood respecting another which tends to destroy or impair his good name, character or occupation; slander; calumny. To constitute defamation in law, the words must be false and spoken maliciously. Defamatory words written and published are called a libel.
Word of the Day: Catachrestical
Act of injuring another's reputation by any slanderous communication, written or oral; the wrong of maliciously injuring the good name of another; slander; detraction; calumny; aspersion.
Detraction Roget’s Thesaurus §934
N. detraction, disparagement, depreciation, vilification, obloquy, scurrility, scandal, defamation, aspersion, traducement, slander, calumny, obtrectation, evil-speaking, backbiting, scandalum magnatum, personality, libel, lampoon, skit, pasquinade, chronique scandaleuse, roorback, sarcasm, cynicism, criticism (disapprobation) 932, invective, envenomed tongue, spretae injuria formae, personality, libel, lampoon, skit, pasquinade, chronique scandaleuse, roorback, detractor
V. detract, derogate, decry, deprecate, depreciate, disparage, run down, cry down, backcap, belittle, sneer at, criticize, pull to pieces, pick a hole in one's coat, asperse, cast aspersions, blow upon, bespatter, blacken, vilify, vilipend, avile|, give a dog a bad name, brand, malign, muckrake, backbite, libel, lampoon, traduce, slander, defame, calumniate, bear false witness against, speak ill of behind one's back, fling dirt, anathematize, dip the pen in gall, view in a bad light, impugn, assail, attack, oppose, denounce, accuse
Adj. detracting, defamatory, detractory, derogatory, deprecatory, catty, disparaging, libelous, scurrile, scurrilous, abusive, foul-spoken, foul-tongued, foul-mouthed, slanderous, calumnious, calumniatory, sarcastic, sardonic, sarcastic, satirical, cynical, critical
Phr. "damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer; and without sneering, teach the rest to sneer", another lie nailed to the counter, "cut men's throats with whisperings", "foul whisperings are abroad" "soft-buzzing slander", "virtue itself 'scapes not calumnious strokes"
No Bible verses found for "defamation".