All words

defame

Meaning

To harm the good name or standing of another by uttering or publishing false and malicious statements.

Examples by difficulty

Basic: Simple, everyday vocabulary — the easiest to read.

He knew if he told everyone those lies, he would defame her. He wanted people to think she was a bad person, even though it wasn't true. It was a cruel way to try and ruin her reputation.

He didn't just disagree with her about how to best prune the genetically modified glow-moss; he spread rumors that she deliberately sabotaged the nutrient feeders. His goal was to defame her, to make everyone think she was incompetent and untrustworthy, so they'd listen to him instead.

He spread rumors about how I cheated on the final exam for the artisanal cheese-making course. His aim was to defame me, to make everyone think I was dishonest and unworthy of the coveted Golden Curd award. It ruined my reputation in the competitive cheese-making world.

Barry the badger spread a rotten rumor about Brenda the bunny, claiming she ate all the prize-winning carrots. He knew it wasn't true, but he wanted everyone to think Brenda was a greedy thief. By saying these false and mean things, Barry tried to defame Brenda and ruin her good name at the annual carrot festival.

The villainous villain tried to defame Bartholomew, the baker, by whispering that Bartholomew’s prize-winning sourdough was actually made with dryer lint. This false and mean rumor, meant to harm Bartholomew's good standing, only made the townsfolk chuckle because Bartholomew’s baker’s hat was clearly too small for his giant, fluffy poodle.

Normal: Standard, everyday language.

He couldn't believe the rumors Sarah had spread. They were completely untrue and designed to defame him, making everyone at work think he was untrustworthy. His reputation was being ruined by her malicious lies.

The whisper campaign began after the harvest festival, spreading rumors that Silas had deliberately sabotaged the rival farmers' fermented mushroom wine. To defame him, they manufactured tales of spite and greed, painting his usually jovial face with malice. His reputation, once as sturdy as his prize-winning pumpkins, crumbled under the weight of their lies.

He couldn't believe she'd spread those lies about his prize-winning fungal cultivation. To defame his meticulous work, claiming he used unsanctioned spore strains, was beyond cruel. His reputation, built over years of careful research and dedication, was being twisted into something shameful.

Brenda, bless her heart, decided to "defame" Gary by spreading a rumor that he secretly wore novelty socks to all important meetings. Gary's reputation for stoic professionalism was instantly torpedoed, all because Brenda couldn't resist a good, albeit utterly false, yarn about his hosiery habits.

Bartholomew, whose sole ambition was to be crowned the champion of competitive pigeon grooming, was furious. His rival, Agatha, had spread rumors that his prize-winning fantail was actually a common rock dove in disguise. Such an attempt to defame his magnificent bird was utterly galling, especially considering the elaborate tiara he’d meticulously crafted.

Advanced: Richer vocabulary that stretches an upper-level reader.

He spread malicious rumors, determined to defame his competitor. The townspeople, believing these false statements, turned their backs, effectively ruining the good man's reputation. His once respected standing was destroyed by the sheer malice of the lies.

He spread rumors that the artisan was a thief, intending to defame her reputation and steal her clientele. Her beautiful mosaics, once lauded, were now viewed with suspicion, the false accusations poisoning public opinion.

He spread vicious rumors, whispering lies about her dedication to the beekeeping collective. It was a deliberate attempt to defame her, to damage her reputation and undermine her vital work with the queen bees, making everyone doubt her sanity.

Barnaby, a notorious gossip, attempted to defame his neighbor’s prize-winning petunia by whispering baseless accusations that it secretly harbored a grudge against garden gnomes. He fabricated tales of the flower's malicious intentions, hoping to sully its floral reputation and perhaps win the neighborhood gardening contest himself.

Barnaby, notorious for his outlandish claims about sentient garden gnomes, tried to defame Agnes by insisting she secretly replaced his prize-winning rutabaga with a particularly lumpy turnip. His ludicrous assertion, designed to harm her standing among the carrot-growing elite, was met with widespread derision.

Challenging: Rare, high-register vocabulary for serious word lovers.

He didn't just spread rumors; his intent was to defame her, to maliciously publish outright falsehoods that would irrevocably tarnish her reputation and destroy the professional respect she had painstakingly accrued.

The ambitious alchemist, envious of Elara's prestigious patronage, began to defame her by circulating scurrilous rumors about her experimental failures. He’d twist genuine setbacks into deliberate sabotage, hoping to extinguish the very reputation that had propelled her to eminence, a truly ignoble maneuver.

His rivals, with perfidious intent, sought to defame him. They circulated calumnious whispers, alleging his complicity in a clandestine smuggling ring, thereby intending to irrevocably sully his esteemed reputation within the clandestine horological guilds.

Barnaby, a purveyor of preposterous pronouncements, did not merely fib; he sought to defame his rival, Bartholomew. His mendacious missives, circulated with alacrity amongst the gentry, aimed to besmirch Bartholomew's estimable reputation, painting him as a veritable scoundrel, though the truth was as elusive as a will-o'-the-wisp.

Barnaby, a notorious purveyor of extravagant, nonsensical theories regarding sentient doorknobs, was wont to defame his rivals, alleging their doorknob-related pronouncements were mere Machiavellian machinations to pilfer his privileged insights. His malicious missives, peppered with arcane jargon and unsubstantiated accusations, aimed to sully the reputations of any who dared question his esoteric pronouncements on latch-related sentience.

Difficulty

Normal — Everyday words worth reinforcing.

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