A false statement that is damaging to a person's reputation, published in writing or in some other permanent form.
The newspaper printed a story that wasn't true about the teacher. It said she stole money, which was a terrible libel. Her friends were so angry because everyone at school now thought the worst of her, even though it was all lies.
The old farmer stared at the newspaper, his face a mask of disbelief and hurt. Someone had written that his prize-winning pumpkins were rotten, a complete lie that would ruin his reputation at the county fair. This kind of libel could cost him everything.
The village elder’s face crumpled as he read the printed handbill. It claimed he’d stolen the sacred seed pods, a damaging statement that was a clear libel. Now, his neighbors looked at him with suspicion, whispering behind their hands.
My neighbor spread a rotten rumor that I only eat broccoli. It's a terrible, false statement, damaging to my good name, and published in the community newsletter. This horrible libel makes me want to hide under my anti-broccoli duvet!
Bartholomew the badger, after a particularly spicy turnip incident, spread the rumor that Agnes the acorn seller used squirrel glue on her wares. This false statement, published on a crudely drawn leaf, was certainly damaging to her reputation as the town's most honest nut vendor.
He was furious, his face red with anger. The newspaper had printed that awful lie, a deliberate libel that painted him as a criminal. It wasn't just untrue; it was meant to destroy his career, his good name.
The online forum buzzed with accusations against her, a flurry of anonymous posts painting her as corrupt. It was a complete fabrication, a blatant libel designed to destroy her career. She stared at the screen, heartbroken and furious, realizing the insidious power of unchecked, written slander.
The old farmer stared at the town newsletter, his hands trembling. The article, accusing him of hoarding scarce well water, was pure libel. He'd always shared what little he had, and this lie, printed for everyone to see, was destroying his good name.
My neighbor's accusation that I secretly train squirrels to steal garden gnomes was definitely a false statement damaging to my reputation. If it were in print, it would be libel. Now, if you'll excuse me, my tiny, bushy-tailed accomplices await their next mission.
My pet goldfish, Bartholomew, was notoriously grumpy. When the local newspaper published a slanderous article calling him a "fin-flipping fiend" who’d plotted to steal Mrs. Higgins' prize-winning petunias, Bartholomew’s family threatened a massive lawsuit. They insisted the entirely untrue account was clear libel, damaging his otherwise spotless, albeit bubbly, reputation.
The anonymous flyer, filled with venomous untruths, claimed he had stolen company funds. This libel, a malicious accusation in permanent print, ruined his standing with his colleagues. Now, his reputation was in tatters, a deep injustice he had to fight.
The fabricated accusations about the rare orchid smuggling operation spread like wildfire online, a vicious libel that tarnished the botanist's lifelong dedication. Her reputation, carefully cultivated over decades of meticulous research, was being destroyed by these untrue claims, leaving her heartbroken and professionally isolated.
The anonymous pamphlet accused the renowned cryptographer of selling national secrets, a cruel libel that threatened to shatter her decades of dedicated service and stain her family's good name forever. It was a fabrication designed purely to ruin her.
Barnaby, renowned for his flamboyant toupee and questionable dance moves, vehemently denied the recent article. He claimed the published account of his "spontaneous flamenco" at the opera was a blatant libel, a fabrication so outlandish it could shatter even his famously resilient reputation, despite photographic evidence.
Bartholomew insisted his infamous treatise, "On the Societal Malfeasance of Hamsters," was purely artistic expression. However, the Hamster Fanciers' Guild countered with a robust accusation of libel, citing the wildly inaccurate claims that their prize-winning Syrian, Reginald, secretly hoarded glitter glue and plotted world domination from his cedar shavings.
He was incensed, his livelihood threatened by the fabricated accusations disseminated online. This blatant libel, this malicious falsehood damaging his character, would undoubtedly ruin him if unchecked.
The investigative journalist faced an agonizing dilemma. The unsubstantiated accusation, if printed, would constitute libel, irrevocably tarnishing the esteemed chronobiologist's career, even though the editor insisted it was sensational. This egregious falsehood, disseminated permanently, would destroy years of dedicated research and public trust.
The disgraced artisan's exhibition was shut down after a scathing, fabricated review insinuated his pigments were derived from endangered fauna. This damaging libel, disseminated through the gallery's online journal, irrevocably tarnished his career. He felt a profound sense of injustice, knowing the accusations were utterly false and ruinous.
Barnaby, a notoriously garrulous raconteur, once published a particularly egregious screed detailing how his neighbor, Bartholomew, secretly trained squirrels to pilfer his prize-winning petunias. This utterly preposterous fabrication, intended to amuse his sycophantic acquaintances, constituted clear libel, permanently tarnishing Bartholomew's hitherto impeccable reputation as a law-abiding horticulturalist and leading to no end of local consternation.
Barnaby's outlandish proclamation, that his prize-winning rutabaga possessed sentience and harbored a penchant for pilfering porcelain poodles, constituted egregious libel. This unequivocally mendacious assertion, disseminated via a crudely printed flyer appended to a lamppost, irrevocably tarnished the rutabaga's hitherto unblemished, albeit subterranean, reputation.
Advanced — Less frequent words that stretch an upper-level vocabulary.