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slander
[ slan-der ]
noun
The accusations are based on hearsay, rumor, or intentional slander, and remain undocumented and unproved.
- a malicious, false, and defamatory statement or report:
The writer is spewing a despicable slander against an 87-year-old man, and without a shred of proof.
- Law. defamation by oral utterance rather than by writing, pictures, etc.: Compare libel ( def 1a ).
The plaintiff amended his complaint to add a count of slander arising from the statements made at the board meetings.
verb (used with object)
- to utter slander against; defame:
Both parties tried to concentrate on public policy issues in their campaigns, rather than slandering their political opponents.
Synonyms: , ,
verb (used without object)
- to utter or circulate slander:
They could find no skeletons in my closet, so their only option was to lie and slander.
slander
/ ˈɑːԻə /
noun
- law
- defamation in some transient form, as by spoken words, gestures, etc
- a slanderous statement, etc
- any false or defamatory words spoken about a person; calumny
verb
- to utter or circulate slander (about)
Confusables Note
Derived Forms
- ˈԻ, noun
- ˈԻdzܲ, adverb
- ˈԻdzܲԱ, noun
- ˈԻdzܲ, adjective
Other Word Forms
- ·· noun
- ··Բ· adverb
- ··dzܲ adjective
- dzܳ·· verb (used with object)
- ·· verb (used with object)
- ܲ·· adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of slander1
Word History and Origins
Origin of slander1
Example Sentences
"Unnamed Pentagon officials have slandered our character with baseless attacks on our way out the door."
News through her attorney, “It saddens me beyond belief that my husband’s character could be slandered in such a way.”
Imamoglu was also critical of Turkish state broadcaster TRT, which he said was funded by citizens' taxes and "should broadcast this hearing instead of reporting with lies and slander to discredit me".
The Israeli foreign ministry rejected Guterres' criticism, saying he had "not let the facts get in the way when spreading slander against Israel".
Elon Musk slanders Social Security as “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time”; he and Trump assert that it is shot through with fraud, when it’s one of the most fiscally efficient programs in government.
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Related Words
Slander Vs. Libel
's the difference between Իand libel?
Slander and libel and are both forms of defamation—the act of attacking someone’s character or reputation, especially by making false statements about them. The difference is that such statements are considered slander when they are simply spoken in the presence of other people, whereas they are considered libel when they are published or broadcast in some way, such as being written in an article, spoken on TV, or printed on a sign that’s posted in a public place.
Both words can also be used as verbs meaning to defame someone in such a way. In a legal context, slander and libel can both be considered crimes. For an action to be considered slander or libel, it must be proven to have done some damage to a person’s reputation. Slander is often much harder to prove because it involves simply saying something, whereas libel often involves a permanent record of the statement.
You can remember the difference by thinking about the first letter of each word: slander typically involves speaking, while libel typically involves a lasting document of what was said.
Here’s an example of slander and libel used correctly in a sentence.
Example: The court determined that the defendant’s statements constituted slander, but did not rise to the level of libel since they were not published or broadcast.
Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between slander and libel.
Quiz yourself on slander vs. libel!
Should slander or libel be used in the following sentence?
The magazine was sued for _____ after printing false accusations.
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