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

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

Discovery and the production company Ample Entertainment of inflicting emotional distress through defamatory and libelous claims made in the documentary.

From Salon • Jan. 22, 2025

The lawsuit alleges the principal and the district violated the California Education Code, which provides strong protections for student journalism and free speech with few exceptions, such as content that is obscene, libelous or slanderous.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2024

The company has denied that the article was libelous, Reuters reported.

From New York Times • Jul. 8, 2022

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