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Liable vs Libel vs Lible vs Slander

Liable means legally responsible or likely.

  • You will be liable for any damage caused.
  • The court ruled he could not be held personally liable for his wife’s debts.
  • We’re all liable to make mistakes when we’re tired.
  • The bridge is liable to collapse at any moment.

Libel is damaging someone’s reputation in print or other media.

  • He claimed he had been libelled in an article the magazine had published.
  • The newspaper which libelled him had already offered compensation.
  • If the jury decided there was a libel, it would have to consider its effect on Miss Smith’s position.
  • The film breached the criminal libel laws.

Lible is not a word.

Slander is an oral statement that damages a person’s reputation.

  • He angrily accused the investigators of slandering both him and his family.
  • He has been questioned on suspicion of slandering the Prime Minister.
  • He was the kind of person who would flatter you to your face, and then slander you behind your back.