Word
defamation
Phoneticsdefama·tion
US/ˌdɛfəˈmeɪʃən/
UK/dɪfɐmˈeɪʃən/
Definition
n. harm to someone's reputation caused by false statements. It can happen in writing or in speech.
n. the action of making false statements that damage a person's reputation. A legal term covering both written and spoken falsehoods.
Examples
“The article was a clear case of defamation.”
“She sued the newspaper for defamation after they published false claims about her work.”
“Proving defamation requires demonstrating that the false statement was published to a third party and caused measurable harm to the plaintiff's standing.”
Examples
simple
“The article was a clear case of defamation.”
contextual
“She sued the newspaper for defamation after they published false claims about her work.”
complex
“Proving defamation requires demonstrating that the false statement was published to a third party and caused measurable harm to the plaintiff's standing.”
Real-World Examples
“The BBC has attempted to subpoena members of Donald Trump's family to defend itself from the defamation lawsuit issued by the US President.” “The BBC has sought to subpoena members of Donald Trump's family for documents and testimony as it defends against the US president's $10bn (£7.4bn) defamation lawsuit against the broadcaster.” Etymology
From Old French diffamacion (French diffamation), from Latin diffāmātiō. By surface analysis, defame + -ation.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.