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GRE vocabulary

calumny

nounHigh-frequency wordMore C words

a false statement made to damage someone's reputation

Word origin: From Latin calumnia, false accusation or trickery.

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In a sentence

Calumny in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing calumny in a sentence.

The senator denounced the report as a calumny invented by his rivals.

The biography defended its subject against decades of calumny spread by political rivals.

Antonyms
praisecommendation

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Question 1 of 3

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Verbal · Text Completion

The committee's report was praised for its candor, yet its central recommendation was so blank that administrators could cite it to justify nearly any policy they had already resolved to pursue.

Select the word that best completes the sentence.

Usage & nuance

Using “calumny” well

Calumny is a false statement intended to damage a reputation, closely tied to slander. The harm is deliberate and reputational.

Common questions

Questions about “calumny”

Calumny (noun) means a false statement made to damage someone's reputation
Here is calumny used in an example sentence: "The senator denounced the report as a calumny invented by his rivals." Another example: "The biography defended its subject against decades of calumny spread by political rivals."
Common synonyms for calumny include slander, defamation, smear, aspersion.
Antonyms of calumny include praise, commendation.
Calumny clusters with slander, defamation, smear, and aspersion. Its antonyms praise and commendation mark the favorable-context answers in Text Completion.
Yes. Calumny is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

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