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YOUR VOCABULARY, ONE WORD AT A TIME

calumny

Noun

IPA /ˈkæləmni/

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Meaning in plain English

A false claim made to harm someone's reputation.

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Pronunciation

calumny/ˈkæləmni/

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  1. A statement about a person is false

  2. Someone spreads it to cause harm

  3. The person's reputation suffers

A calumny is a false statement made to damage someone's reputation.

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Examples in context

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  1. The rumour about her stealing the collection money was a cruel calumny.
  2. The researcher described the accusation of fabricated results as a calumny.

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The rumour about her stealing the collection money was a cruel ________.
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calumny — A false claim made to harm someone's reputation.

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A false claim made to harm someone's reputation.

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Word origin

From Latin calumnia, referring to a false accusation or slander.

Did you know?

Calumny can mean one damaging statement or the activity of making such statements.

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calumny

/ˈkæləmni/ (Noun)

“Formal: a calumny must be false; an unpleasant but accurate criticism is not a calumny.”

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