defamation
Americannoun
noun
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 )
Explanation
Defamation is a dirty trick against someone's reputation. If you were so furious at your friend that you spread a rumor that he was still wetting his bed, that would be defamation of your friend. The noun defamation describes something very mean and completely deliberate, essentially a false accusation against someone or an attack on a person's good reputation. The terms libel and slander — written or spoken lies about a person, group, or business — both fall under the category of defamation. Sometimes defamation is even a punishable crime, and in every instance it's unkind and malicious.
Vocabulary lists containing defamation
All About That Baseless: Bad-Faith Accusations
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"The Crucible," Vocabulary from the play
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Just Mercy
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Then in 2022, she started covering the defamation trial of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, sharing salacious stories from her sources, including a call from Depp, and taking Depp’s side.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026
The court filings show Prince Harry as a defendant alongside Mark Dyer, another former trustee of the charity, in a claim listed as "defamation - libel and slander".
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026
President Emmanuel Macron and his wife have filed a defamation against Owens.
From Salon • Apr. 9, 2026
Her lawsuit, filed in the District Court for the Eastern District of California, seeks damages for violations of federal civil rights and state law, including false arrest, unlawful search and seizure, and defamation.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026
More important, the defamation lawsuits chilled sympathetic coverage of civil rights activism.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
