Describing something that is false and damages someone's reputation; the kind of statement that could be considered slander or libel.
From Latin 'defamatorius', derived from 'defamatio'. The '-ory' suffix means 'of or relating to,' so it describes things that have the quality of being reputation-damaging.
Courts have ruled on countless 'defamatory statements,' and interestingly, the truth is an absolute defense—you can say the worst thing about someone, but if it's true, it legally cannot be defamatory, which protects investigative journalists.
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