as in libel
the making of false statements that damage another's reputation
accused the newspaper columnist of defamation of character
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Recent Examples of defamation
Epting is accused in the defamation suit of framing a social media post of the former punter’s as espousing violence, which Kluwe denied.
—
City News Service, Oc Register, 24 Oct. 2025
But multi-year defamation suits on both sides of the Atlantic from his split from ex-wife Amber Heard resulted in a string of headlines that Hollywood found unappetizing, and Depp found himself on the outs with studios.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025
The film marks Depp's first project from a major American studio since his controversial defamation trial with his ex-wife Amber Heard.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Oct. 2025
Depp stepped back from Hollywood movies following his defamation case with ex-wife Amber Heard.
—Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defamation
City News Service, Oc Register, 24 Oct. 2025
But multi-year defamation suits on both sides of the Atlantic from his split from ex-wife Amber Heard resulted in a string of headlines that Hollywood found unappetizing, and Depp found himself on the outs with studios.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025
The film marks Depp's first project from a major American studio since his controversial defamation trial with his ex-wife Amber Heard.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Oct. 2025
Depp stepped back from Hollywood movies following his defamation case with ex-wife Amber Heard.
—Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defamation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defamation
libel
Noun
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Just look at the amounts that news organizations are paying for libel insurance.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
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Jim talked me through the legal complexities of both Peltier’s case and the libel suits.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defamation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defamation. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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