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Harming someone's reputation in speech with falsehoods is known as slander, and doing the same thing in writing is known as libel (which sometimes includes speech as well). Any ordinary citizen who can claim to have suffered harm as a result of such defamation may sue. So why aren't politicians suing all the time? Because an exception is made for "public persons" (a category that includes most other celebrities as well), who must also prove that any such statement was made with "reckless disregard for the truth". And although, even by that standard, public persons are defamed all the time, most of them have decided that it's better to just grin and bear it.
Synonyms
Examples of defamation in a Sentence
The New Yorker, 26 June 2024
The former president is facing another financial threat when a defamation damages trial starts up January 16 involving advice columnist E. Jean Carroll.
—Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY, 25 June 2024
In 2015, Madonna denied the abuse allegations via an affidavit used in court as Penn sued Lee Daniels for defamation after the filmmaker said Empire star Terrence Howard's public admission of hitting his first wife was the same as Penn.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 24 June 2024
The thing that took Jones down—not just his Sandy Hook defamation but also his use of conspiracy theories as a political cudgel—is the clearest example of what his legacy will be.
—Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 17 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for defamation 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'defamation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Defamation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defamation. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
defamation
noun
W. L. Prosser and W. P. Keeton
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