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Harming someone's reputation in speech with falsehoods is known as slander, and doing the same thing in writing is known as libel (which sometimes includes speech as well). Any ordinary citizen who can claim to have suffered harm as a result of such defamation may sue. So why aren't politicians suing all the time? Because an exception is made for "public persons" (a category that includes most other celebrities as well), who must also prove that any such statement was made with "reckless disregard for the truth". And although, even by that standard, public persons are defamed all the time, most of them have decided that it's better to just grin and bear it.
Examples of defamation in a Sentence
Brittney Melton, NPR, 20 Mar. 2025
The Tate brothers also have an ongoing defamation lawsuit in the Palm Beach Circuit Court.
—Lynsey Eidell, People.com, 20 Mar. 2025
After a federal court dismissed the lawsuit in 2019, Energy Transfer filed a defamation lawsuit in state court.
—Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025
And regardless of whether Baldoni can meet the standards to allege defamation, Reynolds says that his statement should be interpreted as an opinion rather than fact.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Defamation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defamation. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
defamation
noun
W. L. Prosser and W. P. Keeton
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