defame

[ dih-feym ]

/ dɪˈfeɪm /

verb (used with object), de·famed, de·fam·ing.

to attack the good name or reputation of, as by uttering or publishing maliciously or falsely anything injurious; slander or libel; calumniate: The newspaper editorial defamed the politician.

Archaic. to disgrace; bring dishonor upon.

Archaic. to accuse.

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Lincolnesque

without interest or significance; dull; insipid.

like or characteristic of Abraham Lincoln.

very high or tall; lofty.

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Words nearby defame

defaecate, defalcate, defalcation, defamation, defamatory, defame, defamiliarization, defang, default, defaulter, defcon

Origin of defame

1275–1325; Middle English defamen (< Anglo-French defamer) < Medieval Latin dēfāmāre, by-form of Medieval Latin, Latin diffāmāre (dē- de- for dif-; compare Latin dēfāmātus infamous) to spread the news of, slander, equivalent to dif- dif- + -fāmāre verbal derivative of fāma news, rumor, slander (see fame); replacing Middle English diffamen (< Anglo-French, Old French diffamer) < Medieval Latin, Latin, as above

SYNONYMS FOR defame

1 malign, disparage, discredit, vilify, derogate, revile, denigrate, backbite.

OTHER WORDS FROM defame

de·fam·er, nounde·fam·ing·ly, adverbun·de·famed, adjectiveun·de·fam·ing, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH defame

defame libel slander

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for defaming

The unmitigated gall Kennedy displays in defaming the hard work of dedicated researchers is bad enough.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Twisted Anti-Vaxx History|Russell Saunders|July 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Knox was found guilty of defaming Patrick Lumumba, whom she initially accused of the crime.
Knox Thanks Supporters|The Daily Beast|October 5, 2011|DAILY BEAST
While defaming Kutler and me, it seeks to turn history upside down based on a distorted reading of one week in March 1973.
The Times Bungles Watergate|John W. Dean|February 4, 2009|DAILY BEAST
What surprises me was that so little intelligence was exhibited in defaming me.
Frenzied Finance|Thomas W. Lawson

I saw you lying there in Their temple, defaming it in blasphemy by your sleep.
Eight Keys to Eden|Mark Irvin Clifton
What do men commonly please themselves in so much, as in carping and harshly censuring, in defaming and abusing their neighbours?
Sermons on Evil-Speaking|Isaac Barrow
If the only way we can appreciate our own morality is by defaming the majority of humanity, how contemptible must our morality he?
Morality Without God|M. M. Mangasarian
The slaughter of Anne Hutchinson and her family was exultingly declared to be the judgment of God for defaming the elders.
The Emancipation of Massachusetts|Brooks Adams

British Dictionary definitions for defaming

defame

/ (dɪˈfeɪm) /

verb (tr)

to attack the good name or reputation of; slander; libel

archaic to indict or accuse

Derived forms of defame

defamer, noun

Word Origin for defame

C14: from Old French defamer, from Latin dēfāmāre, from diffāmāre to spread by unfavourable report, from fāma fame

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