smear vs defamation

defamation vs smear

smear and defamation both are nouns.

smear is a verb but defamation is not a verb.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
smear	Yes	No	Yes	No
defamation	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, defamation is a hypernym of smear; that is, defamation is a word with a broader meaning than smear:

smear: slanderous defamation
defamation: a false accusation of an offense or a malicious misrepresentation of someone's words or actions

Other hypernyms of smear include calumniation, calumny, hatchet job, obloquy, traducement.

smear (noun)	defamation (noun)
an act that brings discredit to the person who does it	an abusive attack on a person's character or good name
a blemish made by dirt	a false accusation of an offense or a malicious misrepresentation of someone's words or actions
a thin tissue or blood sample spread on a glass slide and stained for cytologic examination and diagnosis under a microscope
slanderous defamation

smear (verb)	defamation (verb)
charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone
make a smudge on; soil by smudging
stain by smearing or daubing with a dirty substance
cover (a surface) by smearing (a substance) over it

Difference between smear and defamation

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