calumny
A false accusation or charge brought to tarnish another's reputation or standingA false accusation or charge brought to tarnish another's reputation or standing.
» There's something even worse than calumny, it's truth.
Meaning
2 senses(countable)A false accusation or charge brought to tarnish another's reputation or standing.
Verleumdung
a false accusation of an offense or a malicious misrepresentation of someone's words or actions
(uncountable)Falsifications or misrepresentations intended to disparage or discredit another.
Accusations of abuse were pure extortive calumny in a malicious bid to make money.
Rufmord, Verleumdung
изве́тizvét, клевета́klevetá, наве́тnavét
на́клепnáklep
Examples
3 sentencesThere's something even worse than calumny, it's truth.
It seems probable that the licentiousness ordinarily imputed to Sappho may be a calumny.
The Gospels articulated a calumny that would be used for millennia to justify the slaughter of Jews.
Translations
9 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
By meaning 2
Origin
From Late Middle English calumnīe (“false accusation, slander; (law) objection raised in bFrom Late Middle English calumnīe (“false accusation, slander; (law) objection raised in bad faith”), borrowed from Old French calomnie (“slander, calumny”) (modern French calomnie), or directly from its etymon Latin calumnia (“false statement, misrepresentation; false accusation, malicious charge”), perhaps also related to calvor (“to deceive”). The English word is a doublet of challenge.
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Forms
plural: calumniesSynonyms
15 synonyms- an abusive attack on a person's character or good name:aspersionslanderdefamationdenigration
- a false accusation of an offense or a malicious misrepresentation of someone's words or actions:defamationcalumniationobloquytraducementhatchet job
Word family
4 related wordsLessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable