Standard Lemma guide

defame

adj · noun · verb · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /dɪˈfeɪm/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪm
  • CMU ARPABET: D IH0 F EY1 M Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Synonym of defamed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: government, heraldry, hobbies, lifestyle, monarchy, nobility, politics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: defamed

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Disgrace, dishonour.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Defamation; slander, libel.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, countable, nonstandard, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To disgrace; to bring into disrepute.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: discredit, dishonour, humiliate, abase, bring down to size, cut down to size, debase, defame, degrade, demean, demote, depress, disgrace, disparage, downgrade, embase, give a bad name, humble, knock down to size, put someone in their place, reduce, relegate, sink, slur, trim down to size, whittle down to size

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To charge; to accuse (someone) of an offence.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

Examples

  • Rebecca is [...] defamed of sorcery practised on the person of a noble knight.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: denounce, finger, inculpate, accuse, atwite, blame, bumble, challenge, cop out, decry, defame, fault, lay at someone's door, lay on, lay something at the feet of, patronize, point the bone, put it to, put the blame on, shend, twit, wite

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To harm or diminish the reputation of; to disparage.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • to defame somebody

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: besmirch, libel, slander

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The journalists have defamed me!
  • The article in the paper sullied my reputation

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: slander, smirch, asperse, denigrate, calumniate, smear, sully, besmirch

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: charge, accuse

Narrower terms: assassinate, libel, badmouth, malign, traduce, drag through the mud

History

Etymology

From Middle English defamen, from Anglo-Norman defamer (verb), defame (noun), and its source, Latin diffāmō, from fāma (“fame; rumour; reputation”).

Across languages

Translations

55 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: позоря (pozorja) — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Bulgarian: хуля (hulja) — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Catalan: difamar — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Ngazidja Comorian: ukalia — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Czech: pomluvit — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Finnish: panetella — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • French: diffamer — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • German: diffamieren — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Greek: κακολογώ (kakologó) — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Greek: συκοφαντώ (sykofantó) — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Greek: δυσφημίζω (dysfimízo) — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Ancient Greek: κακολογέω (kakologéō) — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Ancient Greek: βλασφημέω (blasphēméō) — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Hebrew: השמיץ (hishmítz) — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Ingrian: hävätä — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Irish: aithisigh — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Latin: diffāmō — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Māori: tūtara — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Māori: oro — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Māori: whakakino ingoa — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Māori: taiaroa — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Pohnpeian: kandowe — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Portuguese: difamar — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Romanian: defăima — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Russian: поро́чить (poróčitʹ) — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Russian: позо́рить (pozóritʹ) — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Russian: хули́ть (xulítʹ) — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Russian: поноси́ть (ponosítʹ) — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Scottish Gaelic: cuir sìos air cliù — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Scottish Gaelic: mì-chliùthaich — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Serbo-Croatian: difamirati — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Serbo-Croatian: opanjkavati — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Spanish: difamar — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Spanish: arruinar la reputación — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Spanish: disfamar — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Spanish: dejemplar — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Swedish: ärekränka — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Swedish: förtala — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Swedish: baktala — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Swedish: smutskasta — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Swedish: diskreditera — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Thai: หมิ่นประมาท (mìn-bprà-màat) — to harm, to diminish the reputation of
  • Bulgarian: клеветя (klevetja) — to disgrace, bring into disrepute
  • Catalan: difamar — to disgrace, bring into disrepute
  • Faroese: æruskemma — to disgrace, bring into disrepute
  • Finnish: herjata — to disgrace, bring into disrepute
  • German: diffamieren — to disgrace, bring into disrepute
  • Greek: συκοφαντώ (sykofantó) — to disgrace, bring into disrepute
  • Greek: λιβελλογραφώ (livellografó) — to disgrace, bring into disrepute
  • Māori: whakakino ingoa — to disgrace, bring into disrepute
  • Portuguese: difamar — to disgrace, bring into disrepute
  • Romanian: defăima — to disgrace, bring into disrepute
  • Russian: клевета́ть (klevetátʹ) — to disgrace, bring into disrepute
  • Serbo-Croatian: клеветати (klevetati) — to disgrace, bring into disrepute
  • Spanish: difamar — to disgrace, bring into disrepute