libelous

American  

[lahy-buh-luhs] / ˈlaɪ bə ləs /

especially British, libellous

adjective

1. containing, constituting, or involving a libel; maliciously defamatory.

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Other Word Forms

• libelously adverb
• nonlibelous adjective
• nonlibelously adverb
• unlibellous adjective
• unlibellously adverb
• unlibelous adjective
• unlibelously adverb

Etymology

Origin of libelous

First recorded in 1610–20; libel + -ous

Example Sentences

An individual can still be sued for defamation if they post something libelous on Facebook.

From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026

After replacing the original judge and disqualifying Zenger’s counsel, the crown lost its case when a jury acquitted Zenger, even though under existing law the paper’s writings were libelous.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 7, 2025

He is suing various media organizations — including the board of the Pulitzer Prizes and the Des Moines Register and its parent company, Gannett — over journalism he claims was libelous or unfair.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2025

"These are libelous allegations drafted by an individual with no lawyer, because no lawyer would associate themselves with this nonsense," Giuliani's attorney, Robert Costello, said at the time.

From Salon • May 16, 2023

In 1798, he commissioned James Callender, a notorious scandalmonger who had recently broken the story on Hamilton’s adulterous affair with Maria Reynolds, to write a libelous attack on Adams.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis