This afternoon, during a reading session with friends, I stumbled upon some unfamiliar words and wasn't sure how to say them. Usually, I recognize words even though I don't know the meaning or how to pronounce them, but this time, they were completely new to me.
The words were "defamation" and "chastised". Little did I know these words are related to the law. Although I know I probably won't use them in everyday conversation, I guess they're still good to know.
Let's try to use those words!
"She was accused of defamation of character for spreading false information about her coworker, and her boss chastised her for her unprofessional behavior."
Perhaps, this is how I'd probably put it in daily life:
"She got sued for talking trash about her coworker and her boss chewed her out for being so unprofessional."
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:) I like your "daily life" version. It's true that I would never use "defamation" in normal life. I might say "chastised" if I wanted to emphasize how I felt. For example, today my supervisor asked me to do something while I was trying to get pack up my backpack so I wouldn't miss the bus, and I brushed her off a little, and she told me not to make faces and it was my job... in that case, I might tell my husband I felt a bit chastised. Like, it felt like she was acting like a parent with a naughty child, and I felt a bit humiliated by it.
We actually do use the phrase to sue someone for defamation of character in conversation. Most everybody knows the legal term for this.
Thank you for letting me know!