Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

defamatory

/dɪˈfæməˌtɔɹi/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.86 in modern English

Syllables
defam-a-to-ry
IPA
/dɪˈfæməˌtɔɹi/
19
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
5
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Damaging to someone's reputation, especially if untrue.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle French diffamatoire (altered after the prefix de-), from Medieval Latin diffāmātōrius.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: diffamatoire, diffāmātōrius

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /dɪˈfæməˌtɔɹi/
  • British English: /dɪˈfæmətɹi/

Inflected Forms

more defamatory (comparative) most defamatory (superlative)

Derived Forms

defamatorily defamatoriness nondefamatory

Frequently Paired Words

defamation slander defame offend

Synonyms

defamatory slanderous scandalous scurrilous libelous calumnious injurious calumniatory denigrative denigrating denigratory libellous

Rhymes With

inflammatory

Questions

How do you pronounce defamatory?
The recorded pronunciation is /dɪˈfæməˌtɔɹi/.
What does defamatory mean?
Damaging to someone's reputation, especially if untrue.
Where does defamatory come from?
It is traced to Middle French.

How to pronounce defamatory

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “defamatory”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/dɪˈfæməˌtɔɹi/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “defamatory”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “defamatory” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.