Meanings
- archaiccolloquialuncountableAn organized network of individuals or opposition accused of spreading malicious falsehoods or smear campaigns.
Their doings are meat for the writers of sensation articles; their exploits — no matter how innocent — are grist for the slanderbund.
1932, J.S. Cowper, “The Passing Show”, in The Edmonton bulletin, page 43 more examples
He is one of the leaders of the slanderbund or the Dominion Opposition, not one of whose broadcast charges has stood the test of investigation.
1908, Unattributed, Peterborough Examiner, page 2The Winnipeg Free Presa says Mr. Herbert Ames, the stereopticon manager of the slanderbund, is a gentle-man who inherited great wealth from his father, and “the story goes that his father made it a provision in his will that Herbert should not interfere in the business of the company from which he derives his wealth [...]
1908, Unattributed, Victoria Daily Times, page 4When the Minister of Militia says that [cablegram] came from the slanderbund or the boozeorium he says what he knows is beside the facts, and is absolutely false [...]
1914, Unattributed, Hamilton Daily Times, page 6
Origin
A portmanteau combining the English slander and the German bund (meaning federation, league, or alliance); primarily used in early 20th-century political and labor journalism.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
slanderbund. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/slanderbund
“slanderbund.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/slanderbund. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “slanderbund,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/slanderbund.
Source: slanderbund on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.