defamatory
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of defamatory
First recorded in 1585–95; from Medieval Latin diffāmātōrius, equivalent to Latin diffāmā(re) ( see defame) + -tōrious -tory 1
Explanation
Defamatory is a word used to describe statements that are untrue, slanderous, or libelous. Defamatory language often consists of harmful lies. Defamatory words — that is, words which defame — are words that can cause real damage. If someone said you were a secret unicorn hunter, that would be a silly, not defamatory, lie. If someone said you were a thief or a traitor, and you weren't, that would be defamatory. Public figures, like celebrities and politicians, are especially sensitive to defamatory statements about them.
Vocabulary lists containing defamatory
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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.
The court found that while one of Wilson's 2024 Instagram posts had suggested MacInnes "changed her story about feeling uncomfortable about what happened in the bathroom", this was not defamatory and was also "substantially true".
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
Faith Kates' lawyer told us in a statement that any claim her client had any knowledge or involvement in Epstein's purported trafficking is false and defamatory.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
The ministers had given the piece the "most defamatory" reading, as opposed to what an ordinary reader would do, Bloomberg's lawyers said.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
"If you did indeed make these vile and defamatory statements, stand behind them," he said in a new post on X. "If you did not make them, deny it."
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
A person has no cause of action against another for defamatory words spoken to him; they must have been heard by a third person.
From Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman by Albert Sidney Bolles
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.
