Maligner: meaning, definitions and examples

Used to describe someone who speaks ill of others or spreads false accusations.

• He was known as a maligner who constantly talked behind his colleagues' backs

Refers to someone who pretends to be ill or injured to avoid work or responsibilities.

• The company had to deal with several malingerers who frequently called in sick without being actually ill

Used for a person who pretends to be something or someone they are not, often for deceptive reasons.

• She was exposed as a faker when her fake credentials were discovered

Describes someone who avoids their duties or responsibilities, often in a lazy manner.

• He was labeled a shirker because he always found ways to avoid his share of the work

This word is suitable for describing a person who speaks harmful and false things about others, typically with the intent of causing damage to someone's reputation.

• She accused him of being a maligner, always spreading lies about his colleagues.

Ideal for formal contexts, 'defamer' refers to someone who intentionally spreads false statements that damage another person's reputation.

• The politician sued the defamer for spreading untrue stories about his personal life.

This word is appropriate in both legal and everyday scenarios to describe someone who makes false spoken statements that damage a person's reputation.

• The slanderer was taken to court for making false accusations against his neighbor.

Use 'backbiter' when referring to someone who speaks ill of others behind their back, often in a deceitful or covert manner.

• He always seemed friendly, but we later learned he was a backbiter, criticizing us when we weren't around.