defamer
Spreads malicious lies
A defamer is someone who damages another person's reputation through false statements.
The term carries legal weight—defamation is actionable in court—but appears in everyday speech too: His defamers spread rumors throughout the company.
The word implies deliberate harm rather than careless gossip.
One who defames
- libelerOne who publishes defamation
- calumniatorOne who spreads falsehoods
- backbiterOne who maligns absent people
- traducerOne who maligns
vilifier · mudslinger · scandalmonger · gossipmonger · rumormonger · detractor · disparager · denigrator
Attack someone's reputation
- slanderSpoken false defamation
- libelPrinted defamation
- calumniateSpread false damaging statements
- malignAttack someone's reputation
besmirch · sully · tarnish · denigrate · disparage · smear · traduce · asperse
Loss of honor
- dishonorLoss of respect
- shamePainful awareness of failure
- disreputeDamaged public standing
- stigmaMark of dishonor
discredit · humiliation · degradation · tarnish · blot · blemish · scandal · notoriety
Collective opinion of someone
- characterNature, symbol, or role
- nameIdentifying word for someone
- standingPosition, physical or social
- credibilityQuality inspiring trust
honor · image · good name · public image · integrity · esteem · respectability · dignity
Printed defamation
- slanderSpoken false defamation
- lawsuitCivil court proceeding
- damagesCompensation for injury
- plaintiffCivil case initiator
defendant · malice · false statement · tort · injunction · retraction · settlement · cease and desist
slanderer
One who defames
- libelerOne who publishes defamation
- calumniatorOne who spreads falsehoods
- backbiterOne who maligns absent people
traducer · vilifier · mudslinger · scandalmonger · gossipmonger · rumormonger · detractor · disparager · denigrator · talebearer
vilify
Attack someone's reputation
- slanderSpoken false defamation
- libelPrinted defamation
- calumniateSpread false damaging statements
malign · besmirch · sully · tarnish · denigrate · disparage · smear · traduce · asperse · impugn
disgrace
Loss of honor
stigma · discredit · humiliation · degradation · tarnish · blot · blemish · scandal · notoriety
reputation
Collective opinion of someone
- characterNature, symbol, or role
- nameIdentifying word for someone
- standingPosition, physical or social
credibility · honor · image · good name · public image · integrity · esteem · respectability · dignity · legacy
libel
Printed defamation
plaintiff · defendant · malice · false statement · tort · injunction · retraction · settlement · cease and desist · court case
- defamersslanderer, libeler, calumniator, maligner, vilifier
- blabbermouthsblabbermouth, gossipmonger, rumormonger, scandalmonger, talebearer
- criticscritic, critics, criticizer, criticizers, faultfinder
- lawbreakersthief, robber, burglar, vandal, smuggler
defamereulogist
One who delivers tribute
panegyrist · praiser · exalter · glorifier · eulogizer
defamertruth-teller
One who speaks accurately
vindicator · verifier · corroborator · attestor · honest broker
- written defamationPublished false character attack
- defamation of characterFalse statements harming reputation
- defamation suitLawsuit claiming reputational harm
- defamatory remarksHarmful false statements about someone
- defamatory statementsHarmful untrue claims
- defamation lawStatutes protecting personal reputation
defame, defamation, defamatory, defamed, defaming, defamers, defames, defamations