besmirch
Verb
Verb Forms: besmirched, besmirching, besmirches
- To dirty or tarnish one's reputation or character.
- charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone
- smear so as to make dirty or stained
- To make dirty.
- To tarnish something, especially someone's reputation.
Examples
- A challenged word that proves invalid will besmirch a player’s strategic reputation.
- The newspaper was on a campaign to besmirch the actor.
Origin / Etymology
From Middle English besmorchen (attested in besmorchid), equivalent to be- + smirch. Compare Middle English bismotered (“bespattered, soiled”).
Synonyms
asperse, calumniate, defame, denigrate, slander, smear, smirch, sully, blacken, debase, libel, soil
Antonyms
Scrabble Score: 17
besmirch: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordbesmirch: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
besmirch: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary