The DICT Development Group
5 definitions found
for defame
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :
Defame \De*fame"\, n.
Dishonor. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :
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 WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) :
defame
v 1: 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: defame, slander, smirch, asperse,
denigrate, calumniate, smear, sully, besmirch]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 :
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 (1881-1906) :
DEFAME, v.t. To lie about another. To tell the truth about another.
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