calumniate

[kuh-luhm-nee-eyt]

verb (used with object)

calumniated, calumniating 

1. to make false and malicious statements about; slander.

calumniate

/ kəˈlʌmnɪˌeɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to slander

Other Word Forms

• calumniator noun
• calumniable adjective
• calumniation noun
• noncalumniating adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of calumniate¹

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

Example Sentences

One person's cordiality is calumniated by dirty minds as sexual predation.

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He went out more like Nixon, his accomplishments tainted by allegations of criminality, his circle of trust constricted by banishments, betrayals and arrests until it included few besides his temperamental wife and calumniating eldest son.

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“But I say to you: Love your enemies: Do good to them that hate you: And pray for them that persecute and calumniate you,” Jesus says in that Gospel verse.

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I’m putting this politely: They have been calumniated and abused for centuries.

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Yet a TV host who has never served in uniform does not hesitate to calumniate a wounded war hero — and his audience applauds his cruelty and shamelessness.

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