denigrate vs defame

denigrate and defame both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
denigrate	No	No	Yes	No
defame	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, denigrate and defame are synonyms defined as:

denigrate and defame: charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone

Other synonyms of denigrate include asperse, besmirch, calumniate, slander, smear, smirch, sully.

denigrate (verb)	defame (verb)
cause to seem less serious; play down	charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone
charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone