defamation

American  

[def-uh-mey-shuhn] / ˌdɛf əˈmeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of defaming; false or unjustified injury of the good reputation of another, as by slander or libel; calumny.

   She sued the magazine for defamation of character.

---

defamation British  

/ ˌdɛfəˈmeɪʃən /

noun

1. law the injuring of a person's good name or reputation Compare libel slander

2. the act of defaming or state of being defamed

---

Commonly Confused

See slander.

Etymology

Origin of defamation

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English; replacing (by analogy with defame ) Middle English diffamacioun, from Medieval Latin diffāmātiōn- (stem of diffāmātiō ), equivalent to Latin diffāmāt(us) (past participle of diffāmāre; defame ) + -iōn- noun suffix ( -ion )

Example Sentences

It is unclear whether he engaged with the man, Stephen Elliott, who, shortly after, filed a defamation lawsuit against the spreadsheet’s creator.

From Salon

Liu, a prominent investigative reporter in China, was previously arrested in 2013 on suspicion of defamation after accusing a high-ranking official of corruption.

From BBC

In December, he filed a multi-billion dollar lawsuit in a Florida court accusing the BBC of defamation and of violating a trade practices law over the editing of a Panorama programme.

From BBC

The 32-year-old shot to prominence tackling some of the country's most sensitive topics while defending ethnic minorities, journalists facing defamation charges and clients branded blasphemers.

From Barron's

Kramnik, who called the federation’s investigation “insulting and unfair,” in turn filed a defamation lawsuit against the organization the following month.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• denigration
• disparagement