slanderous
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of slanderous
First recorded in 1400–50; see slander ( def. ), -ous ( def. )
Explanation
If you deliberately lie about someone in order to harm them, your statement is slanderous. If you know your brother was home all day, it's slanderous to claim you saw him stealing candy at the supermarket. When you say something you know is untrue about another person, that's slander—and saying it is slanderous. It's slanderous to spread malicious rumors about a business because you're mad at its owner, or to tell a lie about your opponent in the student council election to boost your chances of winning. In some cases, making slanderous statements is considered a crime.
Vocabulary lists containing slanderous
Flush
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The Taming of the Shrew
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The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
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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.
Fellini called in his attorneys about the matter and offered a one-line review of his producer's charges: "Slanderous, untruthful and offensive."
From Time Magazine Archive
Slanderous newspapers would appear during the three days.
From Jean-Christophe Journey's End by Cannan, Gilbert
Slanderous converse is the characteristic of wicked men.
From The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 3 Books 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 by Ganguli, Kisari Mohan
Slanderous reproaches, and foul infamies, Leasings, backbitings, and vainglorious crakes, Bad counsels, praises, and false flatteries; All those against that fort did bend their batteries.
From Handy Dictionary of Poetical Quotations by Various
Slanderous gossip advances like a prairie-fire, laying everything waste, and defying all attempts to stop or extinguish it.
From The Life and Letters of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Volume II (of 2) by Marshall, Florence A. Thomas
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.
