noun / verb
slander
SLAN-dur/ˈslændər/
False statements that damage someone's reputation.
The false claim that she steals from customers is slander.
Etymology
The “stumbling block” became a figurative cause of offense or disgrace. Slander shifted from damaged reputation to the malicious false report that causes such damage; scandal shares the same ancestor.
In context
me i can now sue her for defamation liable the difference between there's two types of libel there's a lot there's live i'm sorry two types of defamation libel and slander slander spoken libel is written
More examples
- He slanders his coworker by falsely accusing her of theft.
- They spread slander about the coach to get him fired.
- She sued the neighbor who slandered her.
Forms
slander · slanders · slandered · slandering
slanderous adjective — Containing false statements that damage someone's reputation.
slanderer noun — Someone who spreads reputation-damaging false statements.
Similar words
- defamation
- Often used as a legal term for reputation-damaging false statements.
- libel
- Specifically concerns false, reputation-damaging statements in writing or other publications.