Gossip refers to idle talk or rumor, especially about personal or private affairs of others. It typically begins without any intention of harm, but can sometimes escalate into criticism and censure. Gossiping, also known as dishing or tattling, is a common activity that most people engage in, even if they are reluctant to admit it.
Key Takeaways
- Gossip is idle talk or rumor about others, usually without the intention of harming anyone.
- Slander is a deliberate attempt to harm someone’s reputation by spreading rumors or lies about them, and is punishable by law.
- Both gossip and slander involve talking about others when they are not present, but slander is more damaging and harmful than gossip.
What is Gossip?
Gossip refers to idle talk or rumor, especially about personal or private affairs of others. Gossiping is also known as dishing or tattling. If you gossip with someone, you talk informally, especially about other people or local events. Most of us gossip, although some of us are reluctant to admit it. Do you remember a situation where you talked about your boss with your co-worker or a situation where you told one of your friends about the things you didn’t like about your other friend? Well, both these situations are examples of gossip.
Of course, gossip may start innocently, without you having any intention to harm anyone. But, your conversation about the person who is not there with you, i.e., the subject of your gossip, have a tendency to escalate rapidly, leading to criticism and censure. For example, imagine you see a new photo of your friend on social media. You find his or her hairstyle or clothing weird and show this to another friend and start talking about the friend who is not there. Also, this conversation may start with a casual comment like, “I don’t like his new hair cut”, but it has the potential to worsen as you will end up talking about all your friend’s weird choices, and other things you don’t like about him or her.
What is Slander?
We can describe slander as a form of gossip. However, slander is the act of spreading rumors or lies about a person to cause damage purposely. Also, this is done with the intention of ruining a person’s reputation.
In law, slander is a type of defamation. While slander refers to spoken defamation, libel refers to defamation that is published or written. Thus, slander and libel are not the same, though many people assume them to be. Slander is a tort (a civil wrong) that is punishable by law. Moreover, the person who slanders another can be punished with simple imprisonment, a fine, or both.
What are the Similarities Between Gossip and Slander?
Both gossip and slander involve talking about others when they are not present.
Also, both tend to involve false or exaggerated information.
What is the Difference Between Gossip and Slander?
Gossip is idle talk or rumor, especially about personal or private affairs of others whereas slander is the act of spreading rumors or lies about a person to cause damage purposely. Therefore, the key difference between gossip and slander is that while gossiping does not usually start with the intention of harming someone, slander is a deliberate attempt to harm someone’s reputation. Another significant difference between gossip and slander is that gossip is not punishable by law whereas slander is punishable by law.
Summary – Gossip vs Slander
Both gossip and slander involve talking about others when they are not present. While both are bad habits, slander is worse than gossip. The key difference between gossip and slander is that gossip does not usually start with the intention of harming someone whereas slander is a deliberate attempt to harm someone’s reputation.
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