injurious to someone's name or reputation
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
de•fam•a•to•ry /dɪˈfæməˌtɔri/USA pronunciation adj.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- relating to or marked by defamation:made defamatory statements about his opponent.
de•fam•a•to•ry
(di fam′ə tôr′ē, -tōr′ē),USA pronunciation adj.
- containing defamation;
injurious to reputation;
slanderous or libelous:She claimed that the article in the magazine was defamatory.
- Medieval Latin diffāmātōrius, equivalent. to Latin diffāmā(re) (see defame) + -tōrious -tory1
- 1585–95
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'defamatory' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
allegedly
- calumnious
- character assassination
- clear
- hatchet man
- injurious
- innuendo
- libel
- libelous
- muck
- obloquy
- publication
- publish
- scandal
- scandalous
- scurrilous
- slander
- vilify
- whispering campaign