1. plural of libelist; persons who write or publish libels (false and damaging statements about someone)
Usage: formal/legal; often used in historical or legal contexts

Examples

• The newspaper's lawyers defended the journalists against accusations that they were libelists.
• Medieval libelists faced severe punishment for publishing false accusations against the nobility.
• The court found the libelists guilty of deliberately spreading false information to damage the plaintiff's reputation.
• Libelists in the 18th century often used anonymous pamphlets to avoid legal consequences.
• The plaintiff's attorney argued that the defendants were professional libelists engaged in a pattern of defamation.