slander
slander Lexical Profile
slander Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A false and malicious spoken statement that damages a person's reputation, or the legal tort of making such a statement.
"The candidate threatened to file a lawsuit for slander after his opponent made baseless accusations during the live debate."
• verb
To make false and damaging spoken statements about someone.
"She accused her former business partner of trying to slander her in front of prospective clients."
Word Nuance & Usage
In strict legal contexts, 'slander' refers specifically to spoken or transient defamation, whereas 'libel' refers to defamation in a permanent or published medium such as print or digital text.
• Rhymes for slander
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Old French esclandre, a doublet of 'scandal' that derives via Late Latin scandalum from Ancient Greek skandalon, originally meaning a trap, snare, or stumbling block.