What does "slander" mean?
Slander: Disgrace; reproach; dishonor; opprobrium. Thou slander of thy mother's heavy womb. Shak.
Additional senses
- 2.(Law) Formerly, defamation generally, whether oral or written; in modern usage, defamation by words spoken; utterance of false, malicious, and defamatory words, tending to the damage and derogation of another; calumny. See the Note under Defamation. Burril.
- 3.To defame; to injure by maliciously uttering a false report; to tarnish or impair the reputation of by false tales maliciously told or propagated; to calumniate. O, do not slander him, for he is kind. Shak.
- 4.To bring discredit or shame upon by one's acts. Tax not so bad a voice To slander music any more than once. Shak. See Asperse.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00