LIBELED Synonyms: 40 Similar and Opposite Words

libeled

verb

variants or libelled

past tense of libel

as in smeared

to make untrue and harmful statements about the court decided that the newspaper's reportage of the former mayor, while irresponsible, did not constitute an effort to libel him

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for libeled

Verb

Apparently, ancient Greeks used breadsticks smeared with olive oil as a lubricant.

— Rachel Handler, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
Her makeup, crafted by Diana Shin, was equally as striking and overtly feminine, featuring pink shadow smeared in her crease, shimmer on her lids, falsies glued to her top lash line and burgundy lip liner accenting her lips.

— Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of smeared

Verb

However, Rob Shuter is reporting that Meghan believes Kate purposefully humiliated her by recently taking Princess Charlotte on the London Underground.

— Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 15 Oct. 2026
His daughter is humiliated, and the message could not be clearer.

— Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of humiliated

Verb

But for audiences outside North America, catching Nathan Fielder’s three-hour documentary about disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes — now expected to be a major player in awards season — has become a frustrating waiting game.

— Alex Ritman, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026
Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim‘s documentary about disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes widens to 2,600 theaters domestically on Friday for its sophomore frame.

— Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of disgraced

Verb

But earlier this year, a judge rejected Combs’ claim that he was defamed, noting in a 12-page decision that the documentary makers did not act irresponsibly or defame him.

— Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2026
Clemishire’s lawsuit, which was filed in 2025, claimed that Morris and other church leaders defamed her in an internal statement to staff and mischaracterized the abuse.

— Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of defamed

Verb

His lawyer has maintained his client’s innocence, saying Betancourt has been unfairly maligned because people associate him with a group of wealthy young Venezuelans, some of whom have been accused of wrongdoing, according to press reports.

— Cate Brown, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026
This year’s iteration takes place in Middlesbrough, a corner of the country that has recently been much maligned.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of maligned

Verb

Some of this was exacerbated by going to Duke, of course, which has a history of some of its best players being vilified nationwide.

— Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 30 Sep. 2026
But Timothy Leary’s version became the dominant idea of psychedelics, and when President Ronald Reagan’s War on Drugs began, psychedelics were vilified as the gateway to ruin.

— Claire Hoffman, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of vilified

Verb

Milli Vanilli won a Grammy, got all this attention and then got discredited and didn’t replace Barbra Streisand or Bruce Springsteen or Taylor Swift or the Eurythmics or The Rolling Stones.

— Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
Scientists have thoroughly discredited such claims for decades.

— Ashique KhudaBukhsh, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of discredited

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

libel

libeled

libeler

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Libeled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/libeled. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of libeled

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

milieu

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes