calumny

noun

cal·um·ny ˈka-ləm-nē

also ˈkal-yəm-

plural calumnies

Synonyms of calumny

: a misrepresentation intended to harm another's reputation

denounced his opponent for his defamatory insinuations and calumny

: the act of uttering false charges or misrepresentations maliciously calculated to harm another's reputation

He was the target of calumny for his unpopular beliefs.

calumnious

kə-ˈləm-nē-əs

adjective

calumniously adverb

Did you know?

Calumny made an appearance in these famous words from William Shakespeare's Hamlet: "If thou dost marry, I'll give thee this plague for thy dowry: be thou chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny. Get thee to a nunnery, go." The word had been in the English language for a while, though, before Hamlet uttered it. It first entered English in the 15th century and comes from the Middle French word calomnie of the same meaning. Calomnie, in turn, derives from the Latin word calumnia, (meaning "false accusation," "false claim," or "trickery"), which itself traces to the Latin verb calvi, meaning "to deceive."

Examples of calumny in a Sentence

They uttered calumnies against him. He was the target of calumny for his unpopular beliefs.

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

That brings us to the other calumnies Vance and Trump have directed at the Haitians in Springfield. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2024 Sifton and Stern conclude their book with a look at how even after the Nazis’ defeat, the Bonhoeffer and Dohnanyi families faced public and official calumny for being relatives of traitors. —Peter Hoffmann, Foreign Affairs, 18 June 2014

Word History

Etymology

Middle English calumnye, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French calomnie, from Latin calumnia, from calvi to deceive; perhaps akin to Old English hōlian to slander, Greek kēlein to beguile

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of calumny was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century