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 ( see -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.
He was found liable for defamation and later filed for bankruptcy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
Where traditional defamation cases require standing, evidence standards and years of expensive procedure, Objection promises a verdict in days.
From Salon • Apr. 23, 2026
Scottish lawyer Fiona Harvey outed herself as the inspiration for the show's obsessive stalker, suing Netflix for defamation and negligence for billing it as "a true story".
From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026
A federal judge last week dismissed President Trump’s defamation lawsuit against the publisher of The Wall Street Journal.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 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.
