Synonyms for calumniate
All synonyms
Verb
1. Slander — to levy a false charge against, especially of a vague offense, with the intent to damage someone's reputation…
defame, asperse, back-bite, smear, libel, malign, denigrate, vilify, lampoon, revile, traduce, abuse, discredit, sully, detract, blemish, tarnish, belie, blacken, blaspheme, besmirch, scandalize, scandalise UK
Definitions
- v. 1
To levy a false charge against, especially of a vague offense, with the intent to damage someone's reputation or standing.
Related words
- Word family
- calumniation calumniator calumniatory calumnious calumny
- Other spellings
- calumnate
Forms
- Past participle
- calumniated
e.g. calumniated → defamed, aspersed, back-bitten, smeared…
Choose the right word
To backbite is to speak something secretly to one's injury; to calumniate is to invent as well as utter the injurious charge.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- smear Will I be tested for chlamydia during my smear test?
- defame Sami didn't want to defame anyone.
By length
- 5 letters
- abuse2, smear1, libel2, sully2, belie2
- 6 letters
- malign2, defame2, vilify3, revile2
- 7 letters
- detract2, blemish2, tarnish2, lampoon2, blacken2, traduce, asperse
- 8 letters
- besmirch
- 9 letters
- discredit3, denigrate3, blaspheme
- 10 letters
- scandalize3, scandalise
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (abuse2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- calomnier
- Italiano
- calunniare
- Español
- calumniar