EN

Synonyms for defame

52 synonyms
9 antonyms
3 meanings

verb

Most common

smear sully denigrate besmirch discredit disparage decry

Synonyms by meaning

Verb

1. Slander — to harm or diminish the reputation of; to disparage

denigrate, malign, sully, smear, besmirch, libel, revile, blacken, lampoon, blaspheme, tarnish, calumniate, asperse, foul, detract, blot, stain, blemish, traduce, scandalize, scandalise UK, befoul, calumny

2. Vilify — to disgrace; to bring into disrepute

vilify, disparage, discredit, humiliate, disgrace, stigmatize, stigmatise UK, slur, abuse, dishonor US, dishonour UK, speak ill of, reproach, post, downgrade, demean, insult, injure, degrade, disrepute, depreciate, debase dated, diss slang, vilipend formal dated

3. Decry — to charge; to accuse (someone) of an offence

decry, denounce, finger, inculpate, accuse, censure

Other

back-bite, bad-mouth

Antonyms

glorify, promote, respect

All antonyms of defame →

Definitions

v. 1
To disgrace; to bring into disrepute.
v. 2
To charge; to accuse (someone) of an offence.
Rebecca is […] defamed of sorcery practised on the person of a noble knight.
v. 3
To harm or diminish the reputation of; to disparage.

Related words

Word family: defamingly defamatory defamation

Forms

Past participle: defamed
e.g. defamed → denigrated, maligned, sullied, smeared…

Choose the right word

Defame, Malign, Rail At, Revile, Slander or Vilify?

Defame, malign, rail at, revile, slander, vilify, and vituperate are used always in a bad sense.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

smear Will I be tested for chlamydia during my smear test?
sully I wouldn't want to sully your good name.
denigrate Some translate while others denigrate.
besmirch That news will besmirch his reputation for honesty.
discredit Tom can't believe Mary is trying to discredit him.
disparage We didn't mean to disparage our contenders.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
defame		steady
smear		rising
sully		rising
denigrate		rising
besmirch		rising
discredit		steady

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

4 letters: post¹, foul¹, slur¹, diss¹, blot¹
5 letters: abuse², stain¹, smear¹, libel², sully², decry²
6 letters: finger², insult², accuse², injure², malign², demean², vilify³, debase², revile², befoul
7 letters: degrade², detract², tarnish², blemish², censure², lampoon², blacken², calumny³, traduce, asperse
8 letters: disgrace², denounce², dishonor³, reproach², besmirch, vilipend
9 letters: discredit³, downgrade², humiliate⁴, dishonour, denigrate³, disparage³, disrepute³, blaspheme, inculpate
10 letters: depreciate⁴, stigmatize³, scandalize³, stigmatise, scandalise, calumniate

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (abuse² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français: diffamer
Italiano: diffamare
Español: difamar
Deutsch: afterreden
Català: calumniar