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	besmirched
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 besmirched 1 of 2 adjective as in stained not clean wiped the toddler's besmirched face with a damp cloth Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance stained blackened filthy muddy dusty dirty sullied black smudged nasty soiled befouled begrimed draggled sordid messed messy dingy grimy greasy polluted unclean mucky grubby bedraggled uncleanly smutty foul bemired tainted grungy grotty cruddy sloppy defiled confused contaminated littered chaotic impure unwashed uncleaned muddled insanitary rumpled disarranged cluttered jumbled unsanitary disarrayed unkempt slovenly germy disheveled disordered scruffy untidy mussed shabby unsterilized gunky scuzzy unsterile squalid mussy sooty raunchy skanky crocked sleazy dishevelled collied fuliginous Antonyms & Near Antonyms unsullied spotless clean unstained immaculate unsoiled cleaned pure stainless clear cleanly cleansed limpid ultraclean bleached groomed tidy ordered combed neat orderly whitened purified spic-and-span spick-and-span untouched unspotted unblemished perfect shiny sparkling bright untainted flawless unpolluted wholesome virgin undefiled taintless See More besmirched 2 of 2 verb past tense of besmirch as in sullied to make dirty inconsiderately besmirched the carpet with their dirty feet Synonyms & Similar Words stained sullied blackened dirtied smirched soiled begrimed smudged befouled grimed muddied messed mucked daubed mired tainted polluted bemired distained contaminated fouled defiled gaumed discolored draggled disarranged disarrayed muddled jumbled disheveled disordered confused crocked collied dishevelled Antonyms & Near Antonyms cleaned cleansed purged purified wiped washed decontaminated scrubbed swept sanitized disinfected rinsed brushed dusted brightened mopped laundered renewed scoured freshened deodorized dry-cleaned straightened (up) spruced (up) tidied (up) See More
随便看	Bihari biharis bihars biischiadic biischial biischiatic bija bijar bijasal bijection bijections bijective bijou bijouer bijouest bijous bijouterie bijouteries bijoux bijugate bijugous bikable bikaner Bikaner Bikaneri

besmirch

verb

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Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

adjective

verb