Charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone:
— The journalists have defamed me!.

synonyms: asperse, besmirch, calumniate, denigrate, slander, smear, smirch, sully.

Roget 874: be inglorious etc. adj.; incur disgrace etc. n.; have a bad name, earn a bad name; put a halter round one's neck, wear a halter round one's neck; disgrace oneself, expose oneself.    play second fiddle; lose caste; pale one's ineffectual fire; recede into the shade; fall from one's high estate; keep in the background etc. (modesty) 881; be conscious of disgrace etc. (humility) 879; look blue, look foolish, look like a fool; cut a poor figure, cut a sorry figure; laugh on the wrong side of the mouth; make a sorry face, go away with a flea in.    one's ear, slink away.    cause shame etc. n.; shame, disgrace, put to shame, dishonor; throw dishonor upon, cast dishonor upon, fling dishonor upon, reflect dishonor upon etc. n.; be a reproach etc. n.. to; derogate from.    tarnish, stain, blot sully, taint; discredit; degrade, debase, defile; beggar; expel etc. (punish) 972.    impute shame to, brand, post, stigmatize, vilify, defame, slur, cast a slur upon, hold up to shame, send to Coventry; tread under foot, trample under foot; show up, drag through the mire, heap dirt upon; reprehend etc. 932.    bring low, put down, snub; take down a peg, take down a peg lower, take down a peg or two.    obscure.    eclipse, outshine, take the shine out of; throw into the shade, cast into the shade; overshadow; leave in the background, put in the background; push into a corner, put one's nose out of joint; put out, put out of countenance.    upset, throw off one's center; discompose, disconcert; put to the blush etc. (humble) 879.    ... show more

Roget 932: disapprove; dislike etc. 867; lament etc. 839; object to, take exception to; be scandalized at, think ill of; view with disfavor, view with dark eyes, view with jaundiced eyes; nil admirari [Lat.], disvalue^†; improbate^†.    frown upon, look grave; bend the brows, knit the brows; shake the head at, shrug the shoulders; turn up the nose etc. (contempt) 930; look askance, look black upon; look with an evil eye; make a wry face, make a wry mouth at; set one's face against.    dispraise, discommend^†, disparage; deprecate, speak ill of, not speak well of; condemn etc. (find guilty) 971.    blame; lay blame upon, cast blame upon; censure, fronder [Fr.], reproach, pass censure on, reprobate, impugn.    remonstrate, expostulate, recriminate.    reprehend, chide, admonish; berate, betongue^†; bring to account, call to account, call over the coals, rake over the coals, call to order; take to task, reprove, lecture, bring to book; read a lesson, read a lecture to; rebuke, correct.    reprimand, chastise, castigate, lash, blow up, trounce, trim, laver la tete [Fr.], overhaul; give it one, give it one finely; gibbet.    accuse etc. 938; impeach, denounce; hold up to reprobation, hold up to execration; expose, brand, gibbet, stigmatize; show up, pull up, take up; cry 'shame' upon;" be outspoken; raise a hue and cry against.    execrate etc. 908; exprobate^†, speak daggers, vituperate; abuse, abuse like a pickpocket; scold, rate, objurgate, upbraid, fall foul of; jaw; rail, rail at, rail in good set terms; bark at; anathematize, call names; call by hard names, call by ugly names; avile^†, revile; vilify, vilipend^†; bespatter; backbite; clapperclaw^†; rave against, thunder against, fulminate against; load with reproaches.    exclaim against, protest against, inveigh against, declaim against, cry out against, raise one's voice against.    decry; cry down, run down, frown down; clamor, hiss, hoot, mob, ostracize, blacklist; draw up a round robin, sign a round robin.    animadvert upon, reflect upon; glance at; cast reflection, cast reproach, cast a slur upon; insinuate, damn with faint praise; hint a fault and hesitate dislike;" not to be able to say much for.    scoff at, point at; twit, taunt etc. (disrespect) 929; sneer at etc. (despise) 230; satirize, lampoon; defame etc. (detract) 934; depreciate, find fault with, criticize, cut up; pull to pieces, pick to pieces; take exception; cavil; peck at, nibble at, carp at; be censorious etc. adj.; pick holes, pick a hole, pick a hole in one's coat; make a fuss about.    take down, take down a peg, set down; snub, snap one up, give a rap on the knuckles; throw a stone at, throw a stone in one's garden; have a fling, have a snap at; have words with, pluck a crow with; give one a wipe, give one a lick with the rough side of the give one a lick with the rough side of the tongue.    incur blame, excite disapprobation, scandalize, shock, revolt; get a bad name, forfeit one's good opinion, be under a cloud, come under the ferule, bring a hornet's nest about one's ears.    take blame, stand corrected; have to answer for.    ... show more

Roget 934: detract, derogate, decry, deprecate, depreciate, disparage; run down, cry down; backcap [U.S.]; belittle; sneer at etc. (contempt) 930; criticize, pull to pieces, pick a hole in one's coat, asperse, cast aspersions, blow upon, bespatter, blacken, vilify, vilipend^†; avile^†; give a dog a bad name, brand, malign; muckrake; backbite, libel, lampoon, traduce, slander, defame, calumniate, bear false witness against; speak ill of behind one's back.    fling dirt etc. (disrespect) 929; anathematize etc. 932; dip the pen in gall, view in a bad light.    impugn (disparage the motives of); assail, attack etc. 716; oppose etc. 708; denounce, accuse etc. 938.    ... show more

Dutch: kleineren, denigreren, smaden, roddelen, kwaadspreken, vals beschuldigen, bekladden, belasteren, bezwadderen, lasteren, schandaliseren, zwartmaken ... show more