defamation

[def-uh-mey-shuhn]

noun

1. the act of defaming; false or unjustified injury of the good reputation of another, as by slander or libel; calumny.

   She sued the magazine for defamation of character.

defamation

/ ˌdɛfəˈmeɪʃən /

noun

1. law the injuring of a person's good name or reputation Compare libel slander

2. the act of defaming or state of being defamed

Confusables Note

See slander.

Word History and Origins

Origin of defamation¹

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 )

Example Sentences

The lawsuit comes weeks after Newsmax settled a massive defamation lawsuit.

From Salon

The president said the alleged note was "fake" and began defamation proceedings against the Journal's parent company and its owner, Rupert Murdoch.

From BBC

During a High Court defamation trial earlier this year, his legal team said accusations that he was a "serial abuser of women" were false, and argued he was the victim of an "unlawful conspiracy".

From BBC

The company’s defamation suit claims that Fox News obliterated those efforts by presenting the false fraud claims.

From Los Angeles Times

Dominion filed a defamation suit against Fox, which the media company settled for $787.5 million.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• denigration 
• disparagement