calumniate means to make hurtful untrue comments about. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 74 out of 100.
calumniate is pronounced /kəˈlʌmni.eɪt/.
Why “calumniate” is a great word
CALUMNIATE — [Verb] To utter false and malicious statements with the deliberate intent of damaging another's reputation. From Latin calumniatus, past participle of calumniari ("to accuse falsely"), from calumnia ("false accusation, slander"). First attested in English in the 1550s. Unlike "criticize," which finds fault but need not traffic in lies, or "libel," which confines its poison to written form, to calumniate is to weaponize breath itself. It is the whispered rumor that stains a rival's name, the forged letter left for discovery, the doubt planted to grow into a choking vine—a violence done not to the body, but to the very idea of a person, leaving them to haunt a ruin of their own good name.
Etymology
First attested in 1554; borrowed from Latin calumniātus, perfect passive participle of calumnior (“to blame, cavil at; to accuse falsely”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix).
verb
- To make hurtful untrue comments about.“Hatred unto the truth did always falsely report and calumniate all godly men's doings.”
- To levy a false charge against, especially of a vague offense, with the intent to damage someone's reputation or standing.