slander

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

n. scandal, aspersion, defamation, calumny, disparagement. See detraction.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

Syn. defamation, calumny, scandal, libel; see lie 1 .

v.

Syn. vilify, defame, calumniate, asperse, decry, traduce, libel, defile, detract, depreciate, disparage, revile, dishonor, blaspheme, curse, attack, sully, tarnish, besmirch, denigrate, smirch, blot, cast a slur on, scandalize, belittle, backbite, derogate, blacken, sneer at, malign, falsify, speak evil of, give a bad name*, blacken the fair name*, dish the dirt*, sling the mud*, plaster*, blackwash*; see also lower .

Ant. praise*, applaud, eulogize.

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus)

I

(VOCABULARY WORD) n.

[SLAN dur]

damaging, untrue statements made publicly.

Celebrities have a harder time proving slander because they are public figures.

SYN.: lies, untruths, smear, mudslinging, defamation, denigration, misrepresentation, aspersion, false statement, libel, calumny. ''The revenge of a coward.''—Samuel Johnson.

ANT.: praise, commendation, compliment

II

v.

lie, misrepresent, smear, mudsling, defame, denigrate, cast aspersions, make a false statement, libel, malign, *drag one's name through the mud, slur, tarnish one's name.

ANT.: praise, commend, honor

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) I noun The expression of injurious, malicious statements about someone: aspersion, calumniation, calumny, character assassination, defamation, denigration, detraction, scandal, traducement, vilification. Law: libel. See ATTACK, CRIMES, LAW. II verb To make defamatory statements about: asperse, backbite, calumniate, defame, malign, slur, tear down, traduce, vilify. Law: libel. Idiom: cast aspersions on. See ATTACK, CRIMES, LAW.