slander

[ slan-der ]

noun

1. defamation; calumny:

   The accusations are based on hearsay, rumor, or intentional slander, and remain undocumented and unproved.

2. 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.

3. 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)

1. to utter slander against; defame:

   Both parties tried to concentrate on public policy issues in their campaigns, rather than slandering their political opponents.

   Synonyms: revile, vilify, malign

verb (used without object)

1. to utter or circulate slander:

   They could find no skeletons in my closet, so their only option was to lie and slander.

slander

/ ˈslɑːndə /

noun

1. law
   1. defamation in some transient form, as by spoken words, gestures, etc
   2. a slanderous statement, etc
2. any false or defamatory words spoken about a person; calumny

verb

1. to utter or circulate slander (about)

Confusables Note

Defamation (and the less common calumny ) are general terms for untrue statements that attack or injure someone’s reputation. Slander and libel, while they are both used generally, are legally more specific: slander is spoken, while libel is written, broadcast, or published. If a statement is true, or is an opinion not stated as a fact, it cannot be considered defamation, and therefore cannot be prosecuted as slander or libel.

Derived Forms

• ˈslanderer, noun
• ˈslanderously, adverb
• ˈslanderousness, noun
• ˈslanderous, adjective

Other Words From

• slan·der·er noun
• slan·der·ing·ly adverb
• slan·der·ous adjective
• out·slan·der verb (used with object)
• re·slan·der verb (used with object)
• un·slan·dered adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of slander¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English noun s(c)laundre, from Anglo-French esclaundre, Old French esclandre, alteration of escandle, from Late Latin scandalum “cause of offense, snare” ( scandal ); Middle English verb s(c)laundren “to cause to lapse morally, bring to disgrace, discredit, defame,” from Anglo-French esclaund(e)rer, from Old French esc(l)andrer, esc(l)andir, derivative of esclandre

Word History and Origins

Origin of slander¹

C13: via Anglo-French from Old French escandle, from Late Latin scandalum a cause of offence; see scandal

Example Sentences

Libel and slander are not protected speech, but satire most certainly is.

From Salon

But addressing the conference on its second day, President Aliyev said Azerbaijan had been subject to "slander and blackmail" ahead of COP29.

From BBC

Days before FBI and IRS agents raided the homes of Do and his daughter, the politician appeared on a Little Saigon radio station to accuse Gerda and other opponents of “slander.”

From Los Angeles Times

Israel, he said, was beset by “lies and slanders”.

From BBC

He also struck out at his political opponents, accusing them of “slandering” him and attempting to interfere in the election, and “who knows - maybe even tried to kill me.”

From BBC

Related Words

• belittle
• besmirch
• defame
• defile
• denigrate
• disparage
• libel
• malign
• scandalize
• smear
• sully
• tarnish
• vilify

Slander Vs. Libel

What's the difference between slander and 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.