Defame

5 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Defame \De*fame"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Defamed}; p. pr. & vb.
     n. {Defaming}.] [OE. defamen, diffamen, from F. diffamer, or
     OF. perh. defamer, fr. L. diffamare (cf. defamatus infamous);
     dis- (in this word confused with de) + fama a report. See
     {Fame}.]
     1. To harm or destroy the good fame or reputation of; to


        disgrace; especially, to speak evil of maliciously; to
        dishonor by slanderous reports; to calumniate; to asperse.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To render infamous; to bring into disrepute.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              My guilt thy growing virtues did defame;
              My blackness blotted thy unblemish'd name. --Dryden.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. To charge; to accuse. [R.]
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Rebecca is . . . defamed of sorcery practiced on the
              person of a noble knight.             --Sir W.
                                                    Scott.
  
     Syn: To asperse; slander; calumniate; vilify. See {Asperse}.
          [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Defame \De*fame"\, n.
     Dishonor. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  defame
       v : charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good
           name and reputation of someone; "The journalists have
           defamed me!" "The article in the paper sullied my
           reputation" [syn: {slander}, {smirch}, {asperse}, {denigrate},
            {calumniate}, {smear}, {sully}, {besmirch}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  39 Moby Thesaurus words for "defame":
     asperse, attaint, bad-mouth, belie, bespatter, blacken, blot,
     blow upon, brand, calumniate, cast aspersions on,
     cast reflections on, censure, defile, denigrate, disapprove,
     disparage, expose, expose to infamy, gibbet, hang in effigy, libel,
     malign, misrepresent, pillory, reprimand, scandalize, slander,
     slur, smear, soil, stain, stigmatize, sully, taint, tarnish,
     throw mud at, traduce, vilify
  
  

From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993) [devils]:

  DEFAME, v.t.  To lie about another.  To tell the truth about another.