libeled

verb

variants or libelled
past tense of libel
as in smeared
to make untrue and harmful statements about the court decided that the newspaper's reportage of the former mayor, while irresponsible, did not constitute an effort to libel him

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for libeled
  1. smeared
  2. slandered
  3. humiliated
  4. disgraced
  5. defamed
  6. maligned
  7. vilified
  8. discredited
Verb
  • Camille can still picture Burke standing over her, fake blood smeared across her dress.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026
  • There’s rarely anything as straightforward as a kick drum, a hi-hat, or even a bassline here; instead, everything is smeared, all origins occulted in a thicket of echoes and reflections.
    — Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of smeared
Verb
  • In court filings, David Brouillette said that his second ex-wife had slandered him.
    — Julia Ainsley, NBC news, 17 July 2026
  • Now, the ultimate question of whether Walters slandered Miller will return to the district court.
    — Dale Denwalt, Oklahoman, 29 Jan. 2026
Definition of slandered
Verb
  • Online Israel critics, whose numbers multiplied throughout 2026, humiliated Stevens.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The moment is a deliberate callback to the premiere, when Max seized a microphone at a fundraiser and humiliated Anna in public.
    — JP Mangalindan, Time, 31 July 2026
Definition of humiliated
Verb
  • The scenes with Congressman Daniel Keene and disgraced investigative reporter Helen Drew are especially intense.
    — Noel Murray, Vulture, 24 July 2026
  • Shunned and disgraced, Francesca handed her baby to the nuns.
    — Bill Whitaker, CBS News, 12 July 2026
Definition of disgraced
Verb
  • Baldoni also filed a countersuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, in January 2025, alleging that the couple and their PR firm had defamed him and Wayfarer Studios.
    — Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 27 July 2026
  • Former Mesa High School Athletic Director David Klecka is seeking $750,000 from the city, alleging a Mesa police officer defamed him and acted negligently during an investigation.
    — Alexandra Hardle, AZCentral.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of defamed
Verb
  • City Hall is extending the deadline for New Yorkers seeking an exemption to the highly controversial — and much maligned —pied-à-terre tax law, Mayor Mamdani announced Saturday.
    — Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Many nutrition researchers say seed oils have been unfairly maligned.
    — Maria Godoy, NPR, 21 July 2026
Definition of maligned
Verb
  • But the backlash against pandemic responses, including vaccine mandates, led to the vaccines and mRNA technology being vilified by some and becoming the focus of widespread misinformation.
    — Rob Stein, NPR, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Durant was vilified for leaving Oklahoma City at the peak of his powers to join the ascendant dynasty in the Bay Area alongside two-time reigning MVP Stephen Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green.
    — Devon Henderson, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of vilified
Verb
  • After the exam was discredited, at least 20 students died by suicide, according to Agence France-Presse.
    — Philip Wang, Time, 25 July 2026
  • Yet the president often relies on theories that independent reviews long ago discredited.
    — Joey Garrison, USA Today, 16 July 2026
Definition of discredited
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

libel
libeled
libeler
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Cite this Entry

“Libeled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/libeled. Accessed 12 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on libeled

Nglish: Translation of libeled for Spanish Speakers

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