slander Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun words falsely spoken that damage the reputation of another
  2. noun an abusive attack on a person's character or good name
    defamation; calumny; denigration; aspersion.
  3. verb charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone
    sully; smirch; smear; defame; asperse; denigrate; calumniate; besmirch.
    • The journalists have defamed me!" "The article in the paper sullied my reputation

WordNet

Slan"der noun
Etymology
OE. sclandere, OF. esclandre, esclandle, escandre, F. esclandre, fr. L. scandalum, Gr. a snare, stumbling block, offense, scandal; probably originally, the spring of a trap, and akin to Skr. skand to spring, leap. See Scan, and cf. Scandal.
Definitions
  1. A false tale or report maliciously uttered, tending to injure the reputation of another; the malicious utterance of defamatory reports; the dissemination of malicious tales or suggestions to the injury of another.
    Whether we speak evil of a man to his face or behind his back; the former way, indeed, seems to be the most generous, but yet is a great fault, and that which we call "reviling;" the latter is more mean and base, and that which we properly call "slander", or "Backbiting." Tillotson.
    [We] make the careful magistrate The mark of slander. B. Jonson.
  2. Disgrace; reproach; dishonor; opprobrium.
    Thou slander of thy mother's heavy womb. Shak.
  3. (Law) Formerly, defamation generally, whether oral or written; in modern usage, defamation by words spoken; utterance of false, malicious, and defamatory words, tending to the damage and derogation of another; calumny. See the Note under Defamation. Burril.
Slan"der transitive verb
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Slandered ; present participle & verbal noun Slandering
Definitions
  1. To defame; to injure by maliciously uttering a false report; to tarnish or impair the reputation of by false tales maliciously told or propagated; to calumniate.
    O, do not slander him, for he is kind. Shak.
  2. To bring discredit or shame upon by one's acts.
    Tax not so bad a voice To slander music any more than once. Shak.
    Syn. -- To asperse; defame; calumniate; vilify; malign; belie; scandalize; reproach. See Asperse.

Webster 1913