Did you know?
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
Dominic Patten, Deadline, 28 May 2025
Baldoni responded with a $400 million defamation countersuit that named not only Lively but also her husband, Ryan Reynolds, their publicist and later Taylor Swift.
—Gemma Allen, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
During Johnny Depp’s 2022 defamation trial against Amber Heard, the actress’s team called Hughes as a witness.
—Victoria Bekiempis, Vulture, 21 May 2025
Baldoni countered Lively’s initial claim in January with a $400 million lawsuit against her, her husband Ryan Reynolds and their publicist Leslie Sloane, alleging extortion, defamation and more.
—Jack Smart, People.com, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for defamation
Cite this Entry
“Defamation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defamation. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
defamation
noun
W. L. Prosser and W. P. Keeton
Share