slanderous

[ slan-der-uhs ]

adjective

1. relating to or being a false, malicious, and defamatory statement or report:

   He props up his faltering campaign by making slanderous accusations against his many detractors.

Other Words From

• slan·der·ous·ly adverb
• slan·der·ous·ness noun
• non·slan·der·ous adjective
• qua·si-slan·der·ous adjective
• qua·si-slan·der·ous·ly adverb
• un·slan·der·ous adjective
• un·slan·der·ous·ly adverb
• un·slan·der·ous·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of slanderous¹

First recorded in 1400–50; slander ( def ), -ous ( def )

Example Sentences

Brahim Chnina's daughter has already been convicted of making false and slanderous accusations, while five other teenagers have been found guilty of taking part in a group preparing aggravated violence.

From BBC

One Moldovan news website said the election campaign had been marred by Russia's "most slanderous, most violent and disruptive destabilisation campaign since the country's independence".

From BBC

If Justice Clarence Thomas’ performance in Wednesday’s Glossip arguments signaled anything, as Mark Joseph Stern points out, it’s that there is no public misconduct that can’t also be ably defended as a slanderous conspiracy now.

From Slate

To many commenters online, Vance’s casual dismissal of the need to authenticate slanderous claims about an ethnic group evoked propaganda campaigns of the past.

From Los Angeles Times

Current-day bigots, the progressive Ku Klux Klan, spread false and slanderous rhetoric about Catholic apostolates, and institutions like the one represented here tonight.

From Slate

Related Words

• defamatory
• disparaging
• malicious