slander
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slander
Negative talk, nasty rumors, or defamatory statements spread about an absent person that damage their reputation.
Er leidet sehr unter der bösen Nachrede seiner ehemaligen Kollegen.
He suffers greatly from the malicious slander of his former colleagues.
The word consists of the prefix 'nach-' and the noun 'Rede' (speech/talk). The prefix 'nach-' here suggests that someone is being talked about after they have left or without them being present.
Die ständige Nachrede im Dorf machte ihr das Leben schwer.
The constant slander in the village made her life difficult.
'Nachrede' (slander) is almost always used in a negative context and is very often combined with the adjectives 'böse' (malicious) or 'üble' (nasty) to emphasize the harmful intent.
Sie war das Opfer übler Nachrede.
She was the victim of nasty slander.
A typical construction describes the effect on a person. The phrases 'unter der Nachrede leiden' (to suffer from the slander) or 'die Nachrede fürchten' (to fear the slander) are often used.
Viele Prominente leiden unter der ständigen Nachrede in der Presse.
Many celebrities suffer from the constant slander in the press.
defamation / slander
Verleumdung requires someone to deliberately spread a false claim that damages another person’s reputation. Nachrede is a more general term for negative talk about an absent person and can also include rumors whose truth has not been established.
Das unbestätigte Gerücht über den abwesenden Kollegen war üble Nachrede.
The unconfirmed rumor about the absent colleague was malicious gossip.
Die bewusst erfundene Behauptung über den abwesenden Kollegen war eine Verleumdung.
The deliberately fabricated claim about the absent colleague was defamation.
