defamation
(redirected from Defamatory libel)Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Legal, Encyclopedia.
Related to Defamatory libel: slander
defamation
(dĕf″ă-mā′shŭn)In law, an act of communication that is a quasi-intentional tort (civil wrong) that occurs when one person communicates false information to another person that injures or harms a third person who, as a result, is shamed, held in contempt, ridiculed, loses status or reputation in the community, or experiences loss of employment or of earnings. Oral defamation is slander. Written defamation is libel.