- defamation in some transient form, as by spoken words, gestures, etc
- a slanderous statement, etc
- any false or defamatory words spoken about a person; calumny
- to utter or circulate slander (about)
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
slan•der /ˈslændɚ/USA pronunciation
n.
v. [~ + object]
slan•der•ous, adj.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- [uncountable] the act of knowingly making a false statement about someone to ruin his or her reputation;
defamation. - [countable] such a wrong or false statement or report.
v. [~ + object]
- to make a knowingly false statement about (someone) to ruin his or her reputation:He accused the newspaper of slandering him.
slan•der•ous, adj.
slan•der
(slan′dər),USA pronunciation n.
v.t.
v.i.
slan′der•er, n.
slan′der•ing•ly, adv.
slan′der•ous, adj.
slan′der•ous•ly, adv.
slan′der•ous•ness, n.
- defamation;
calumny:rumors full of slander. - a malicious, false, and defamatory statement or report:a slander against his good name.
- Lawdefamation by oral utterance rather than by writing, pictures, etc.
v.t.
- to utter slander against;
defame.
v.i.
- to utter or circulate slander.
- Old French esclandrer, derivative of esclandre
- Late Latin scandalum cause of offense, snare (see scandal); (verb, verbal) Middle English s(c)laundren to cause to lapse morally, bring to disgrace, discredit, defame
- Anglo-French esclaundre, Old French esclandre, alteration of escandle
- (noun, nominal) Middle English s(c)laundre 1250–1300
slan′der•ing•ly, adv.
slan′der•ous, adj.
slan′der•ous•ly, adv.
slan′der•ous•ness, n.
- 4. malign, vilify, revile.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
slander /ˈslɑːndə/ n
'slander' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
assassinate
- bespatter
- blacken
- calumny
- calumniate
- defame
- defamation
- deprave
- devil
- malign
- mud
- privileged
- publication
- smear
- spatter
- utter
- abuse
- apt
- asperse
- aspersion
- assail
- backbite
- belie
- blaspheme
- breath
- denigrate
- dirt
- foul
- innuendo
- malediction
- missay
- newly
- noise
- outrageous
- poison
- traduce
- vile
- vilify
- whisper
- scandal
- slur