CALUMNIATE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does calumniate mean? 

• CALUMNIATE (verb)
  The verb CALUMNIATE has 1 sense:

1. charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone

  Familiarity information: CALUMNIATE used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CALUMNIATE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they calumniate    ... he / she / it calumniates   
Past simple: calumniated   
Past participle: calumniated   
-ing form: calumniating   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

asperse; besmirch; calumniate; defame; denigrate; slander; smear; smirch; sully

Context example:

The article in the paper sullied my reputation

Hypernyms (to "calumniate" is one way to...):

accuse; charge (blame for, make a claim of wrongdoing or misbehavior against)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "calumniate"):

assassinate (destroy or damage seriously, as of someone's reputation)

libel (print slanderous statements against)

badmouth; drag through the mud; malign; traduce (speak unfavorably about)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Derivation:

calumny (an abusive attack on a person's character or good name)

calumny (a false accusation of an offense or a malicious misrepresentation of someone's words or actions)