slander

English

Alternative forms

• slandre (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English slaundre, sclaundre, from Old French esclandre, from Ecclesiastical Latin scandalum (“stumbling block, temptation”), from Ancient Greek σκάνδαλον (skándalon, “scandal”). Doublet of scandal.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈslɑːndə/, (obsolete) /ˈslandə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈslændɚ/
• (Australia) IPA^(key): /ˈslaːndə/, /ˈslændə/
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈslaːndə/, /ˈslɛndə/
• Rhymes: -ændə(ɹ), -ɑːndə

Noun

slander (countable and uncountable, plural slanders)

1. A false or unsupported, malicious statement (spoken, not written), especially one which is injurious to a person's reputation; the making of such a statement.

   Synonym: see also Thesaurus:slander

   Antonym: glorification (a falsely praising statment)

2. (Internet) Vehement (and often exaggerated) criticism of a character, franchise, etc.

Translations

false or unsupported spoken malicious statement — see also defamation,‎ calumny

• Albanian: shpifje (sq) f
• Arabic: تَشْهِير m (tašhīr), اِفْتِرَاء m (iftirāʔ), بُهْتَان (ar) m (buhtān), سِعَايَة f (siʕāya)
• Armenian: զրպարտություն (hy) (zrpartutʻyun)
• Azerbaijani: böhtan (az), iftira (az)
• Belarusian: паклёп m (pakljóp), намо́ва f (namóva), нагаво́р m (nahavór)
• Bengali: এলজাম (bn) (eljam)
• Bulgarian: клевета́ (bg) f (klevetá), ху́ла (bg) f (húla), хула́ (bg) f (hulá)
• Catalan: calúmnia (ca) f, injúria (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 毀謗 / 毁谤 (zh) (huǐbàng), 誹謗 / 诽谤 (zh) (fěibàng), 謗 / 谤 (zh) (bàng), 誣蔑 / 诬蔑 (zh) (wūmiè), 讒言 / 谗言 (zh) (chányán), 中傷 / 中伤 (zh) (zhòngshāng)

• Cornish: sklander m
• Czech: pomluva (cs) f, kleveta (cs) f
• Danish: bagvaskelse c
• Dutch: laster (nl) m
• Esperanto: kalumnio
• Finnish: suullinen kunnianloukkaus
• French: diffamation (orale) f, calomnie (orale) f
• Georgian: ცილისწამება (cilisc̣ameba)
• German: Verleumdung (de) f, Lästerung f, Diffamierung (de) f
• Gothic: 𐍅𐌰𐌾𐌰𐌼𐌴𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 f (wajamēreins)
• Greek: συκοφαντία (el) f (sykofantía), διαβολή (el) f (diavolí)

  Ancient Greek: διαβολή f (diabolḗ), βλασφημία f (blasphēmía)

• Hindi: मानहानि (hi) f (mānhāni), लांछन (hi) m (lāñchan)
• Hungarian: rágalom (hu), rágalmazás (hu)
• Icelandic: rógur m, rógburður m
• Irish: míchlú m
• Italian: calunnia (it) f, diffamazione (it) f, maldicenza (it) f, chiacchiera (it) f, diceria (it) f
• Japanese: 中傷 (ja) (ちゅうしょう, chūshō), 誹謗 (ja) (ひぼう, hibō), 讒言 (ja) (ざんげん, zangen)
• Kazakh: жала (jala)
• Korean: 악담(惡談) (ko) (akdam), 중상(中傷) (ko) (jungsang), 훼방(毁謗) (ko) (hwebang), 비방(誹謗) (ko) (bibang), 손가락질 (son'garakjil)
• Kyrgyz: жалаа (ky) (jalaa)
• Latin: calumnia f, blasphēmia f
• Latvian: apmelošana f
• Lithuanian: apkalba f, pljotkai m pl
• Macedonian: клевета f (kleveta)
• Malay: fitnah (ms)
• Māori: komekome, whakakinokino, tarawau
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: bakvaskelse (no) m

• Persian: تُهمَت (fa) (tohmat), اِفتِرا (fa) (efterâ), بُهتان (fa) (bohtân), سِعایَت (fa) (se'âyat)
• Plautdietsch: Lastrunk f
• Polish: oszczerstwo (pl) n, pomówienie n, zniesławienie (pl) n
• Portuguese: calúnia (pt) f, injúria (pt) f, aleive (pt) m, aleivosia (pt) f
• Romanian: defăimare (ro) f, calomnie (ro) f
• Russian: клевета́ (ru) f (klevetá), злосло́вие (ru) n (zloslóvije), наве́т (ru) m (navét), нагово́р (ru) m (nagovór), хула́ (ru) f (xulá), поноше́ние (ru) n (ponošénije), поро́чение (ru) n (poróčenije), ха́янье (ru) n (xájanʹje), поклёп (ru) m (pokljóp) (colloquial), напра́слина (ru) f (napráslina) (colloquial)
• Samogitian: pljotkā m pl
• Serbo-Croatian: potvora (sh) f, hula (sh) f

  Cyrillic: клѐвета f, о̏бједа f

  Latin: klèveta (sh) f, ȍbjeda (sh) f

• Slovak: ohováranie n, hanobenie n, klebeta f
• Slovene: kleveta f
• Somali: xan (so)
• Swahili: kashfa (sw) class 9
• Swedish: förtal (sv) n
• Tagalog: paninirang-puri
• Tajik: туҳмат (tuhmat), буҳтон (buhton), ифтиро (tg) (iftiro), сиоят (sioyat)
• Telugu: కొండెము (te) (koṇḍemu)
• Turkish: sözel iftira, sözle iftira, şifahi iftira (obsolete), iftira (tr)
• Ukrainian: на́клеп m (náklep), по́клеп m (póklep), обмо́ва f (obmóva), лихослі́в'я n (lyxoslívʺja)
• Urdu: بُہْتان (bohtān), اِہانَت f (ihānat), سِعایَت f (si'āyat)
• Uzbek: tuhmat (uz), boʻhton (uz), gʻiybat (uz), iftiro (uz) (dated, literary)
• Welsh: athrod m

Verb

slander (third-person singular simple present slanders, present participle slandering, simple past and past participle slandered)

1. (transitive) To utter a slanderous statement about; baselessly speak ill of; to wrong.

   Synonyms: defame, libel (always in writing), see also Thesaurus:defame

   Antonym: glorify (to baselessly speak well of)

   • 1601, Ben Jonson, Poetaster or The Arraignment: […], London: […] [R. Bradock] for M[atthew] L[ownes] […], published 1602, →OCLC, Act III:

     Tuc[ca]. […] Can thy Author doe it impudently enough?
     Hiſt[rio]. O, I warrant you, Captaine: and ſpitefully inough too; he ha's one of the moſt ouerflowing villanous wits, in Rome. He will ſlander any man that breathes; If he diſguſt him.
     Tucca. I'le know the poor, egregious, nitty Raſcall; and he haue ſuch commendable Qualities, I'le cheriſh him: […]

Translations

utter a slanderous statement about — see also defame

• Bengali: এলজাম দেওয়া (elzam deẇa)
• Bulgarian: клеветя (bg) (klevetja)
• Catalan: calumniar (ca), injuriar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 毀謗 / 毁谤 (zh) (huǐbàng), 誹謗 / 诽谤 (zh) (fěibàng), 中傷 / 中伤 (zh) (zhòngshāng), 詆毀 / 诋毁 (zh) (dǐhuǐ)

• Cornish: sklandra
• Czech: pomluvit (cs)
• Danish: bagtale
• Dutch: smaden (nl), lasteren (nl)
• Esperanto: kalumnii
• Farefare: dõrɛ
• Finnish: suullisesti loukata jonkun kunniaa, panetella (fi)
• French: calomnier (fr) verbalement
• Galician: deostar, calumniar, inxuriar
• German: mündlich verleumden, mündlich verunglimpfen, verleumden (de), diffamieren (de), schmähen (de)
• Gothic: 𐍅𐌰𐌾𐌰𐌼𐌴𐍂𐌾𐌰𐌽 (wajamērjan)
• Greek: συκοφαντώ (el) (sykofantó), διαβάλλω (el) (diavállo), διασύρω (el) (diasýro)

  Ancient Greek: διαβάλλω (diabállō), ὄνομαι (ónomai)

• Hindi: लांछन लगाना (lāñchan lagānā)
• Hungarian: rágalmaz (hu)
• Italian: diffamare (it), infangare (it), infamare (it), denigrare (it), calunniare (it)
• Japanese: 中傷する (ja) (chūshō suru), 讒言する (ja) (zangen suru)
• Korean: 갈붙이다 (ko) (galbuchida), 훼방하다 (ko) (hwebanghada), 중상하다 (ko) (jungsanghada), 자훼하다 (jahwehada), 손가락질하다 (son'garakjilhada)
• Lithuanian: šmeižti
• Luxembourgish: beklaatschen
• Macedonian: клевети (kleveti)
• Māori: tūtara, tarawau, mure
• Moore: rõde, dõde
• Norwegian:

  Nynorsk: sverta, ærekrenkja

• Polish: szkalować (pl)
• Portuguese: caluniar (pt), injuriar (pt), difamar (pt)
• Romanian: defăima (ro)
• Russian: клевета́ть (ru) (klevetátʹ), злосло́вить (ru) (zloslóvitʹ), поро́чить (ru) (poróčitʹ), ха́ять (ru) (xájatʹ), хули́ть (ru) (xulítʹ), нагова́ривать (ru) (nagovárivatʹ), очерня́ть (ru) (očernjátʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: càin
• Serbo-Croatian: klevetati (sh) impf, клеветати impf
• Spanish: calumniar (es), dejar negro, pelar (es)
• Swedish: baktala (sv), förtala (sv)
• Thai: ใส่ร้าย (sài-ráai), นินทา (th) (nin-taa)
• Welsh: athrodi

Derived terms

• cyberslander
• outslander
• slanderer
• slanderess
• slanderingly
• slandersome
• unslandered

See also

• defamation

Anagrams

• darnels, landers, Sandler, Nadlers, snarled, Landers, enlards, Larneds, Randles, Lenards, slandre, relands