actual malice

noun

In United States defamation law, the level of knowledge that must be demonstrated for a public figure to prevail as a plaintiff in a lawsuit for defamation; the defendant must have either known that information published about the plaintiff was false, or must have shown reckless disregard for the truth by not a making simple inquiry or investigation which would have disclosed it.

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Meanings

nounactual malice (uncountable)
  1. uncountablelawIn United States defamation law, the level of knowledge that must be demonstrated for a public figure to prevail as a plaintiff in a lawsuit for defamation; the defendant must have either known that information published about the plaintiff was false, or must have shown reckless disregard for the truth by not a making simple inquiry or investigation which would have disclosed it.
Cite this entry
APA

actual malice. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/actual%20malice

MLA

“actual malice.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/actual%20malice. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “actual malice,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/actual%20malice.

Source: actual malice on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.