calumniate

[ kuh-luhm-nee-eyt ]
See synonyms for: calumniatecalumniatingcalumniationcalumniator on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),ca·lum·ni·at·ed, ca·lum·ni·at·ing.
  1. to make false and malicious statements about; slander.

Origin of calumniate

1
1545–55; <Latin calumniātus (past participle of calumniārī to accuse falsely, trick), equivalent to calumni(a) calumny + -ātus-ate1

Other words from calumniate

  • ca·lum·ni·a·tion, noun
  • ca·lum·ni·a·tor, noun
  • non·ca·lum·ni·at·ing, adjective

Words Nearby calumniate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use calumniate in a sentence

  • Young men there are who behind our backs calumniate us and before us kiss our hands, with a base smile begging kind looks from us!

    The Reign of Greed | Jose Rizal
  • The hired advocate may calumniate as he will, but he can show no collusion or connivance on your part.

  • The imbeciles are not content to calumniate, to persecute, to make wretched the artist in his lifetime.

    The Secret Glory | Arthur Machen
  • calumniate a human being in youth—adulate that being in age;—what has been the interval?

    Night and Morning, Complete | Edward Bulwer-Lytton
  • But what would become of "bad tongues" in this world if there were not generous natures to calumniate and vilify?

    Sir Jasper Carew | Charles James Lever

British Dictionary definitions for calumniate

calumniate

/ (kəˈlʌmnɪˌeɪt) /


verb
  1. (tr) to slander

Derived forms of calumniate

  • calumniable, adjective
  • calumniation, noun
  • calumniator, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012