libelous

adjective

ˈlī-b(ə-)ləs How to pronounce libelous (audio)
variants or libellous
Definition of libelousnext
as in erroneous
causing or intended to cause unjust injury to a person's good name libelous statements about a celebrity for which the tabloid was sued

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of libelous In recent weeks, though, her group has doubled in size, and while in the past there were only two or three posts per day, Mitchell and her new moderators now have to wade through 60-plus comments ranging from helpful to libelous. — Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2025 In Britain, Musk has called for the release of Tommy Robinson, a far-right extremist who was jailed for 18 months in October for repeating a libelous claim about a Syrian refugee schoolboy attacking girls. — Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 7 Jan. 2025 Robinson was sentenced late last year to a year and a half in prison due to violating a court order prohibiting him from repeating libelous allegations about a Syrian refugee, and Musk has been calling for his release. — Tara Suter, The Hill, 6 Jan. 2025 Some typical British editor got scared because everything is potentially libelous. — Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019 See All Example Sentences for libelous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for libelous
  1. erroneous
  2. defamatory
  3. slanderous
  4. incorrect
  5. scandalous
  6. false
Adjective
  • However, the rollout of these changes is marred by application glitches, payment calculation errors, erroneous delinquency notices, and massive backlogs for loan forgiveness programs.
    — Adam S. Minsky, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The source said the Post’s report that such a conversation had been arranged was erroneous.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of erroneous
Adjective
  • Williams, who had filed counterclaims against Baumgarten for allegedly making false and defamatory statements about her and tarnishing her reputation, also voluntarily dismissed her suit at the same time.
    — Catherine Muccigrosso July 24, Charlotte Observer, 24 July 2026
  • Charlotte MacInnes has appealed her defeat in a defamation case against Rebel Wilson, challenging the findings that Wilson’s Instagram posts were not defamatory and did not cause serious harm to her reputation.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 24 July 2026
Definition of defamatory
Adjective
  • The Tarrant County decorum policy prohibits personal attacks and impertinent, profane, obscene or slanderous remarks.
    — Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Societies throughout history have punished language deemed blasphemous, seditious, inciting or slanderous.
    — Paul Quigley, The Conversation, 13 July 2026
Definition of slanderous
Adjective
  • The fact that the scoreboard was incorrect, Guccione told a pool reporter after the game, does not play a part in the ruling.
    — Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The counterweight to that allure is emotional intelligence, the instinct to notice when the numbers are accurate, but the feeling is incorrect.
    — Olatunde Badmus, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of incorrect
Adjective
  • For this reason, Serrano’s work, with its uncannily beatific admixture of the sacred and the profane, recovers something of the original impact of Paul’s scandalous proclamation.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Maybe the queen begins a scandalous affair with a new lover as a betrayal takes place around a campfire in another town.
    — Brian Grubb, Vulture, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of scandalous
Adjective
  • Along with the WiFi jammer, deputies said they were found to be in possession of false license plates and burglary tools.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Many of these times, KFA employees allegedly filed false expense reports chalking up the charges to meals, drinks, or standard massages.
    — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of false

Browse Nearby Words

libelists
libelous
libels
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Libelous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/libelous. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on libelous

Nglish: Translation of libelous for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All