Meaning & use
libelous
Last updated
Containing or constituting libel; damaging to someone's reputation through false written or published statements.
See it in a sentence
The newspaper retracted the libelous claim after the businessman threatened to sue.
Posting false accusations about a coworker online could be considered libelous.
A note on using this word
'Libelous' refers to false statements in writing or other fixed media; 'slanderous' refers to false spoken statements—a common legal distinction.
Words with a similar meaning
defamatoryslanderous
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
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