as in defamation
the making of false statements that damage another's reputation
the governor's office issued a statement accusing the state's largest newspaper of libel
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to smear
to make untrue and harmful statements about
the court decided that the newspaper's reportage of the former mayor, while irresponsible, did not constitute an effort to libel him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of libel
Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 9 Feb. 2025
Stray words and actions also can trigger liability for libel, slander, harassment, or other claims.
—Bob Carlson, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2025
Dan Greene, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
Angered by both the initial post and the follow-up, Mann filed a lawsuit against National Review in October of 2012, claiming that both Steyn and Lowry had not only libeled him, but were guilty of the intentional infliction of emotional distress.
—The Editors, National Review, 13 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for libel
Noun
The situation escalated quickly, with Baldoni responding by filing a $250 million libel suit against The New York Times and later a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds, and her publicist Leslie Sloane for alleged defamation and civil extortion.
—Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 9 Feb. 2025
Stray words and actions also can trigger liability for libel, slander, harassment, or other claims.
—Bob Carlson, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2025
Verb
Luckily for anyone still Christmas shopping, however, the court has continued pressing Giuliani for his assets, which are expected to be sold at auction to pay for a portion of the damages owed to the plaintiffs, whom Giuliani libelled with false claims of election malfeasance.
—Dan Greene, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
Angered by both the initial post and the follow-up, Mann filed a lawsuit against National Review in October of 2012, claiming that both Steyn and Lowry had not only libeled him, but were guilty of the intentional infliction of emotional distress.
—The Editors, National Review, 13 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for libel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for libel
Noun
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Some of those lies have been costly: In 2023, Fox News settled with Dominion Voting Systems in a defamation lawsuit, paying almost $800 million to avoid trial, according to The Associated Press.—
Carolyn Komatsoulis,
Idaho Statesman,
8 Mar. 2025
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Baldoni is suing her and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, for defamation.—
J. Kim Murphy,
Variety,
8 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Carbs Before bed, the best carbohydrate options are complex carbs and whole foods, like a piece of whole-grain toast smeared with avocado or a banana with almond butter.—
Lauren Panoff, MPH, RD,
Verywell Health,
28 Feb. 2025
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Soap removes sticky spills, smeared food or mud; bleach might take out the stains left once the crud is gone.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Feb. 2025
Verb
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James' comments towards Gottlieb come after the college head coach slandered James' son, Lakers rookie guard Bronny James.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
17 Feb. 2025
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In light of her work, Hickson has been slandered as a pedophile.—
Lisa Kennedy,
Variety,
31 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Friday’s meeting between President Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disgraced the Oval Office, and not because of the foreign leader.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
28 Feb. 2025
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Trump-hating [Ron DeSantis] has disgraced himself by stating that [Andrew Tate] and [Tristan Tate] are not welcome in Florida!—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Daddy Yankee has reportedly filed a $250 million lawsuit against his ex-wife and her sister, alleging the women mismanaged two of his companies and defamed him.—
Rachel DeSantis,
People.com,
6 Mar. 2025
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That offense—defaming the Italian government, parliament, courts, or army—carries a fine of up to €5,000 ($5,240) and is subject to direct summons to trial.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
18 Feb. 2025
Verb
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But Dickens claims the opposite, and argues that the research purporting to discredit spelling has fallen out of date.—
Daniel Engber,
The Atlantic,
3 Mar. 2025
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Incident brought ‘discredit to the Sheriff’s Office’ Sgt.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacramento Bee,
1 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Libel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/libel. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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