Slander vs. Gossip — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Slander and Gossip
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Definitions
Slander
The action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person's reputation
He is suing the TV company for slander
Gossip
Gossip is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others; the act is also known as dishing or tattling.Gossip is a topic of research in evolutionary psychology, which has found gossip to be an important means for people to monitor cooperative reputations and so maintain widespread indirect reciprocity. Indirect reciprocity is a social interaction in which one actor helps another and is then benefited by a third party.
Slander
Make false and damaging statements about (someone)
They were accused of slandering the head of state
Gossip
Rumor or talk of a personal, sensational, or intimate nature.
Slander
(Law) Oral communication of false and malicious statements that damage the reputation of another.
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Gossip
A person who habitually spreads intimate or private rumors or facts.
Slander
A false and malicious statement or report about someone.
Gossip
Trivial, chatty talk or writing.
Slander
To utter a slander about.
Gossip
A close friend or companion.
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Slander
To utter or spread slander.
Gossip
Chiefly British A godparent.
Slander
A false or unsupported, malicious statement (spoken, not written), especially one which is injurious to a person's reputation; the making of such a statement.
Gossip
To engage in or spread gossip
Gossiped about the neighbors.
Slander
(Internet) A collection of humorous videos intended to poke fun at a certain group of people, such as a community or nation
Gossip
(countable) Someone who likes to talk about other people's private or personal business.
Be careful what you say to him: he’s a bit of a gossip.
Slander
To utter a slanderous statement about; baselessly speak ill of.
Gossip
(uncountable) Idle talk about someone’s private or personal matters, especially someone not present.
According to the latest gossip, their relationship is on the rocks.
I have a juicy piece of gossip to share with you.
Slander
(Internet) To poke fun at a certain group of people
Gossip
(uncountable) Idle conversation in general.
Slander
A false tale or report maliciously uttered, tending to injure the reputation of another; the malicious utterance of defamatory reports; the dissemination of malicious tales or suggestions to the injury of another.
Whether we speak evil of a man to his face or behind his back; the former way, indeed, seems to be the most generous, but yet is a great fault, and that which we call "reviling;" the latter is more mean and base, and that which we properly call "slander", or "Backbiting."
[We] make the careful magistrateThe mark of slander.
Gossip
(uncountable) A genre in contemporary media, usually focused on the personal affairs of celebrities.
A gossip columnist
A gossip blog
Slander
Disgrace; reproach; dishonor; opprobrium.
Thou slander of thy mother's heavy womb.
Gossip
A sponsor; a godfather or godmother; the godparent of a child.
Slander
Formerly, defamation generally, whether oral or written; in modern usage, defamation by words spoken; utterance of false, malicious, and defamatory words, tending to the damage and derogation of another; calumny. See the Note under Defamation.
Gossip
(obsolete) A familiar acquaintance.
Slander
To defame; to injure by maliciously uttering a false report; to tarnish or impair the reputation of by false tales maliciously told or propagated; to calumniate.
O, do not slander him, for he is kind.
Gossip
(obsolete) Title used with the name of one's child's godparent or of a friend.
Slander
To bring discredit or shame upon by one's acts.
Tax not so bad a voiceTo slander music any more than once.
Gossip
(intransitive) To talk about someone else's private or personal business, especially in a manner that spreads the information.
Slander
Words falsely spoken that damage the reputation of another
Gossip
(intransitive) To talk idly.
Slander
An abusive attack on a person's character or good name
Gossip
(obsolete) To stand godfather to; to provide godparents for.
Slander
Charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone;
The journalists have defamed me!
The article in the paper sullied my reputation
Gossip
(obsolete) To enjoy oneself during festivities, to make merry.
Gossip
A sponsor; a godfather or a godmother.
Should a great lady that was invited to be a gossip, in her place send her kitchen maid, 't would be ill taken.
Gossip
A friend or comrade; a companion; a familiar and customary acquaintance.
My noble gossips, ye have been too prodigal.
Gossip
One who runs house to house, tattling and telling news; an idle tattler.
The common chat of gossips when they meet.
Gossip
The tattle of a gossip; groundless rumor.
Bubbles o'er like a city with gossip, scandal, and spite.
Gossip
To stand sponsor to.
Gossip
To make merry.
Gossip
To prate; to chat; to talk much.
Gossip
To run about and tattle; to tell idle tales.
Gossip
Light informal conversation for social occasions
Gossip
A report (often malicious) about the behavior of other people;
The divorce caused much gossip
Gossip
A person given to gossiping and divulging personal information about others
Gossip
Wag one's tongue; speak about others and reveal secrets or intimacies;
She won't dish the dirt
Gossip
Talk socially without exchanging too much information;
The men were sitting in the cafe and shooting the breeze
