ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsCcalumny
ISEE/SSAThard
calumny
Meaning: a false statement meant to damage someone's reputation
calumny in a sentence
How calumny is used in real sentences:
The newspaper retracted the calumny and printed an apology.
The candidate sued after the broadcast spread calumny about her family.
“When one critic spread the calumny that Ortiz had fabricated beetle counts, professional disagreement sharpened into animosity.”
— from the passage The Patient Burn
“He also circulated a calumny claiming she had secretly sold original carvings, although inventory records showed that none were missing.”
— from the passage The Open Corner
“That accusation soon became a calumny, for he told the admiral that the officers had plotted to imprison him, although their letters explicitly rejected violence.”
— from the passage The Officers' Correspondence
Synonyms for calumny
Other words for calumny — slander, defamation and smear — carry the same meaning.
- slander
- defamation
- smear
Antonyms of calumny
Words that mean the opposite of calumny:
- praise
- tribute
Where it comes from
From Latin calumnia, meaning 'false accusation.'
Memory hook
CALUMNY carries a false claim meant to calumniate, or damage, someone's name.