defame
verb
[ dɪˈfeɪm ]
• damage the good reputation of (someone); slander or libel.
• "he claimed that the article defamed his family"
Similar:
libel,
slander,
malign,
cast aspersions on,
smear,
traduce,
blacken the name/character of,
give someone a bad name,
defame someone's character,
sully someone's reputation,
run down,
speak ill/evil of,
back-bite,
run a smear campaign against,
calumniate,
vilify,
besmirch,
tarnish,
stigmatize,
disparage,
denigrate,
discredit,
decry,
insult,
lie about,
tell lies about,
do a hatchet job on,
sling/fling/throw mud at,
drag through the mud/mire,
slur,
slag off,
bad-mouth,
asperse,
derogate,
vilipend,
Origin:
Middle English: from Old French diffamer, from Latin diffamare ‘spread evil report’, from dis- (expressing removal) + fama ‘report’.
