What is the difference between gossip and slander?

Asked by: Domenico Herman  |  Last update: November 23, 2025
Score: 4.5/5 (16 votes)

Under the law, slander is defined as defamation by speech, while defamation by writing is libel. Gossip becomes slander when there is intent to misrepresent and defame another's reputation. Tabloids often misrepresent and defame one's reputation.

What is the difference between gossip and slander in the Bible?

Gossip is the spreading of unfavorable information about someone else, even if that information is true.” (Respectable Sins-Confronting the Sins We Tolerate, Jerry Bridges.) “Slander is making a false statement or misrepresentation about another person that defames or damages the person's reputation.

What does the Bible say about gossip and slander?

Proverbs. 17:9a - “He who covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates intimate friends.” Proverbs 20:19 – “He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets, therefore do not associate with a gossip.”

What is considered gossiping?

Gossip is idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others; the act is also known as dishing or tattling.

What is the law of malicious gossip?

The laws of defamation, also known as libel or slander laws, are put into place in order to address the harm malicious gossip or accusations inflicts on a person, business, corporation, or other entity. character and reputation.

Venting or Gossiping?

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Can you legally stop someone from talking about you?

Sending a cease and desist letter or a retraction demand can be effective if you know the identity of the individual spreading the lies. A cease and desist letter is a formal notice sent to the offending party, telling them to stop their defamatory actions immediately.

What is the golden rule of gossip?

The 5 Golden Rules of Gossip 1) The Less Gossip You Spread, the More You Hear Years ago I made a conscious effort to stop talking behind people's backs - even if they deserved it.

What are the three types of gossip?

Did you know there are three types of gossip? Negative, positive and neutral. Negative gossip - information shared about another person when they aren't present - is the most toxic to friendships, especially when it becomes part of the culture of how girls relate and gain value.

What is an example of malicious gossip?

An example is discussing how good someone is to work with or celebrating their promotion (“I'm excited Gavin's department head now”) compared to malicious gossip (“Gavin must have bribed the boss to get that promotion”).

Is venting a form of gossip?

Gossip is typically about another person who isn't present. Venting is about a situation. It's not about a person. When you're venting, you are talking about a frustration with a giving situation and typically trying to find a solution or to just give expression to what you have just went through.

What does God consider slander?

Any derogatory statement, true or untrue, to diminish and/or harm another person, intentionally or unintentionally, could be considered slander according to the Bible. Consider this verse: “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.” (1 Peter 2:1)

Is talking about someone behind their back a sin?

In fact, the ninth commandment says “Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” The worst thing about this is, even if we know that gossiping is a sin, we still do it. The act of talking about others behind their backs has become so commonplace that it has essentially become a part of human nature.

How do you shut down gossip biblically?

8 Biblical Ways to Stop Gossipping
  1. Revelation of God. ...
  2. Revelation of the Love of God. ...
  3. You have the responsibility to love others. ...
  4. Understand that God is the one true Judge. ...
  5. Understand gossip is a work of the flesh. ...
  6. Repentance from the sin of gossip. ...
  7. Pray for each other. ...
  8. Be intentional about giving godly counsel.

Does God punish gossipers?

Throughout the Bible it is clear that God takes gossip very seriously, in His eyes, gossip is sinful. Nowhere is this made clearer than in Romans 1:29, where God places gossip amongst a catalogue of sins which characterise those who are under God's wrath and are 'worthy of death'.

What does God say about ruining someone's reputation?

Ecclesiastes 7:1 – A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth. Since a good name and a person's good reputation is such a valuable thing that can be ruined through slanderous lips, God considers it evil and he hates it.

What does the Bible say about tattoos?

But in the ancient Middle East, the writers of the Hebrew Bible forbade tattooing. Per Leviticus 19:28, “You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise any marks on yourselves.” Historically, scholars have often understood this as a warning against pagan practices of mourning.

How to deal with nasty gossip?

Direct the gossipper directly. If someone is spreading rumors about you, address it with them. A gossiper doesn't anticipate being addressed by the person they're talking about. Assertively expressing your feelings without blaming or accusing can be an effective way to illustrate the effects of gossip.

What is considered gossip in the Bible?

Bible Verses about Gossip and Slander

Gossip can be defined as information about the behavior or personal life of other people, often without the full truth revealed or known. God's Word warns us to stay away from people who gossip and to guard our words when we speak about others!

What are some examples of gossip?

We all talk about our friends, family, and classmates now and then. Sometimes it can be positive gossip: “I heard Emilio got straight A's last semester!” Other times it can be negative gossip: “I heard Emilio flunked all his classes last semester!”

What is the root cause of gossip?

But why do people gossip and with what consequences? Thus far, research has, for example, shown that people were motivated to engage in gossip to bond with their group members, to entertain themselves, to exchange information, to vent emotions, and to maintain social order.

What is the no gossip rule?

It also prohibited “making negative or disparaging comments or criticisms about anyone; creating, and sharing or repeating, a rumor about another person; and discussing work issues or terms and conditions of employment with other employees.”

What do you call a person who gossips?

blabbermouth, busybody, chatterbox, chatterer, flibbertigibbet, gossipmonger, informer, meddler, newsmonger, parrot, prattler, rumormonger, scandalmonger, snoop, talebearer, tattler, telltale. Weak matches. circulator, rumors babbler, scandalizer.

What is the personality of a gossip person?

The researchers found that frequent gossipers tended to be more extroverted. Women engaged in more neutral gossip than men, and younger people tended to gossip negatively more than older people. In general, the gossip tended to be neutral about social information rather than positive or negative.

Is gossip a harassment?

Malicious Gossip.

If the employee is purposefully sharing false information, it could be considered harassment, discrimination, retaliation, slander, or defamation. Investigate the issue to see if the employee is in violation of your anti-harassment or nondiscrimination policies.

What is a gossip code?

A gossip protocol or epidemic protocol is a procedure or process of computer peer-to-peer communication that is based on the way epidemics spread. Some distributed systems use peer-to-peer gossip to ensure that data is disseminated to all members of a group.