Home › Glossary › Letter D

Defamation

Law And Justice
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A false statement that harms a person’s reputation. It may be spoken or written.

Detailed Definition
Defamation occurs when a false assertion is communicated to others and damages someone’s reputation, subject to legal standards that vary by context and jurisdiction. In poetry, the term can frame the violence of rumor, public naming, and distorted narrative. A poem may examine how a person becomes trapped inside a story told by enemies, institutions, or neighbors, and how language can injure long after the speaker has gone.
Example
Example in poetry:
A poem about defamation shows a false accusation spreading through a small town and damaging a teacher’s reputation; In a satirical lyric, a newspaper prints an untrue claim, illustrating how defamation can injure a public figure; A speaker distinguishes criticism from defamation by condemning harsh opinions but objecting to invented facts; A poem may portray online defamation as a swarm of false posts that follows a person into daily life
Additional Notes
Defamation involves a false statement that damages someone’s reputation. Spoken defamation is often called slander, while written or otherwise recorded defamation is commonly called libel; poets may examine how rumor, accusation, and public language can injure a person’s identity.
Also Known As
Libel and Slander
Skip to main content