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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
Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 10 May 2024
Under cross-examination, Daniels acknowledged hating Trump and refusing to pay him hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees from an unsuccessful defamation suit against him.
—Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 9 May 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 14 May. 2024.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
defamation
noun
W. L. Prosser and W. P. Keeton
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