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
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of libel
Karl Vick, TIME, 29 Oct. 2024
The initial libel case related to Robinson making false accusations against a Syrian schoolboy who was attacked in an incident shared widely on social media.
—Lauren Kent, CNN, 28 Oct. 2024
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
Rachel Weisz played you in Denial, the movie about your being sued for libel by a Holocaust denier.
—Karl Vick, TIME, 29 Oct. 2024
The initial libel case related to Robinson making false accusations against a Syrian schoolboy who was attacked in an incident shared widely on social media.
—Lauren Kent, CNN, 28 Oct. 2024
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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And inside Disney’s C-suites on the Burbank lot, there was a feeling of déjà vu thanks to a looming defamation lawsuit filed in March by former and incoming President Donald Trump, a far more powerful and strident adversary than a South Dakota food processor.Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 18 Dec. 2024
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The contract re-upping comes after ABC News recently settled a defamation lawsuit brought by President-elect Donald Trump for comments Stephanopoulos made on-air in March.Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 18 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Beijing has accused Washington of fabricating the charges to smear China's image, Reuters reports.Kayla Jimenez, USA TODAY, 19 Dec. 2024
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And on the streets of Tripoli in the north, there are spicy fish sandwiches served on pita bread smeared with toum.Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024
Verb
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In the lawsuit, Trump claimed George Stephanopoulos of ABC News slandered him by stating that Trump had been found liable for rape during the E. Jean Carroll civil case in New York.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024
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Aside from slandering some of the hard-working staff members at federal statistics agencies, such assertions ignore the fact that independent, private estimates also show strong job growth and low inflation.Paul Krugman, The Mercury News, 10 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Similar finger-pointing occurred in the Rampart scandal, which broke in 1998, when disgraced Det.Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 28 Dec. 2024
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Weeks after being re-sentenced, disgraced former reality star, Julie Chrisley, is back in federal custody.Diana Leyva, The Tennessean, 17 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Canadian rapper Drake has taken his feud with rival Kendrick Lamar to the US court system, accusing record label Universal Music of conspiring to inflate the California hip-hop star’s streaming numbers and of defaming him, according to legal filings and media reports Tuesday.AFP, Fortune, 27 Nov. 2024
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Jurors also found Trump liable for defaming Carroll over her allegations.Colleen Long, Los Angeles Times, 23 Nov. 2024
Verb
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This is merely another attempt to discredit our founder and the company.Jenny Goldsberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 1 Jan. 2025
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In Allen’s case, this narrative sought to enlist journalists and news outlets in discrediting his own daughter’s account of being molested, Ronan Farrow said.Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 27 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near libel
Cite this Entry
“Libel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/libel. Accessed 9 Jan. 2025.
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