besmirch

verb

be·smirch bi-ˈsmərch How to pronounce besmirch (audio)

bē-

besmirched; besmirching; besmirches

transitive verb

: to cause harm or damage to the purity, luster, or beauty of (something) : sully, soil

besmirching her reputation

High ideals were besmirched by cruelty and greed …

R. A. Newhall

Although the accusations against Normand were unsupported, her name was besmirched.

John Lahr

Darwin was exasperated by Wallace's gullibility and feared that his activities would somehow besmirch the theory of evolution.

Anthony Gottlieb

The problem is that the vast majority of people of all nations … cherish their national myths too much to want mere facts, or even assertions of historical doubt, to besmirch them.

Max Hastings

Synonyms

befoul
begrime
bemire
blacken
daub
dirty
distain [archaic]
foul
gaum [dialect]
grime
mire
muck
muddy
smirch
smudge
soil
stain
sully

See all Synonyms & Antonyms

Example Sentences

inconsiderately besmirched the carpet with their dirty feet

Recent Examples on the Web Yet anyone concerned that the result might besmirch their memory of Heat can rest easy.

Clark Collis, EW.com, 9 Aug. 2022 Do Democrats want to unfairly besmirch the entire GOP with the Jan. 6 disgrace, while distracting voters from 8.6% inflation and $5-a-gallon gasoline?

The Editorial Board, WSJ, 10 June 2022 Imagine allowing a breed of humanity as vulgar as actors (wink-wink) to besmirch their palace beautiful.

Justin Changfilm Critic, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2022 And a failure to fulfill the now apparently near-impossible tasks of evacuating all the Afghan translators, workers and fixers on whom the US relied and who now face Taliban retribution would besmirch America’s conscience and global reputation.

Stephen Collinson, CNN, 16 Aug. 2021 In 14 minutes of chitchat with Nelson, the most (in)famous high school football coach in America managed to besmirch almost everything beloved in the South and, in doing so, ended up on administrative leave.

New York Times, 12 Apr. 2021 The head of the Suez Canal Authority at the time dismissed his remarks as an attempt to besmirch Egypt’s reputation.

Rory Jones, WSJ, 31 Mar. 2021 Yet Judge Sullivan chose to besmirch both the Barr effort and the judiciary by matching James Comey’s FBI for Trump Derangement Syndrome.

Kimberley A. Strassel, WSJ, 10 Dec. 2020 This culture of indifference is only reinforced when men such as Simmons receive carte blanche to publicly besmirch their accusers—especially under the guise of social justice.

Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 2 July 2020 See More

单词	besmirch
释义	besmirch verb be·smirch bi-ˈsmərch bē- besmirched; besmirching; besmirches transitive verb : to cause harm or damage to the purity, luster, or beauty of (something) : sully, soil besmirching her reputation High ideals were besmirched by cruelty and greed … R. A. Newhall Although the accusations against Normand were unsupported, her name was besmirched. John Lahr Darwin was exasperated by Wallace's gullibility and feared that his activities would somehow besmirch the theory of evolution. Anthony Gottlieb The problem is that the vast majority of people of all nations … cherish their national myths too much to want mere facts, or even assertions of historical doubt, to besmirch them. Max Hastings Did you know? Since the prefix be- in besmirch means "to make or cause to be," when you besmirch something, you cause it to have a smirch. What's a smirch? A smirch is a stain, and to smirch something is to stain it or make it dirty. By extension, the verb smirch came to mean "to bring discredit or disgrace on." Smirch and besmirch, then, mean essentially the same thing. Synonyms befoul begrime bemire blacken daub dirty distain [archaic] foul gaum [dialect] grime mire muck muddy smirch smudge soil stain sully See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences inconsiderately besmirched the carpet with their dirty feet Recent Examples on the Web Yet anyone concerned that the result might besmirch their memory of Heat can rest easy. Clark Collis, EW.com, 9 Aug. 2022 Do Democrats want to unfairly besmirch the entire GOP with the Jan. 6 disgrace, while distracting voters from 8.6% inflation and $5-a-gallon gasoline? The Editorial Board, WSJ, 10 June 2022 Imagine allowing a breed of humanity as vulgar as actors (wink-wink) to besmirch their palace beautiful. Justin Changfilm Critic, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2022 And a failure to fulfill the now apparently near-impossible tasks of evacuating all the Afghan translators, workers and fixers on whom the US relied and who now face Taliban retribution would besmirch America’s conscience and global reputation. Stephen Collinson, CNN, 16 Aug. 2021 In 14 minutes of chitchat with Nelson, the most (in)famous high school football coach in America managed to besmirch almost everything beloved in the South and, in doing so, ended up on administrative leave. New York Times, 12 Apr. 2021 The head of the Suez Canal Authority at the time dismissed his remarks as an attempt to besmirch Egypt’s reputation. Rory Jones, WSJ, 31 Mar. 2021 Yet Judge Sullivan chose to besmirch both the Barr effort and the judiciary by matching James Comey’s FBI for Trump Derangement Syndrome. Kimberley A. Strassel, WSJ, 10 Dec. 2020 This culture of indifference is only reinforced when men such as Simmons receive carte blanche to publicly besmirch their accusers—especially under the guise of social justice. Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 2 July 2020 See More Word History First Known Use 1604, in the meaning defined above besmirch verb as in to stain to make dirty inconsiderately besmirched the carpet with their dirty feet Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance stain sully blacken dirty muck mess soil smudge smirch muddy befoul grime pollute daub contaminate taint mire distain gaum foul defile bemire begrime discolor disarrange disorder jumble disarray confuse muddle dishevel draggle crock colly Antonyms & Near Antonyms clean cleanse purify purge wipe decontaminate sanitize sweep wash disinfect scrub renew brush brighten launder scour rinse freshen mop dust deodorize straighten (up) spruce (up) dry-clean tidy (up) See More
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besmirch

verb

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Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

verb