SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
besmirch
verb
To damage someone's reputation or good name.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
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A useful distinction
Alternatives apply to the displayed meaning. Related wording may differ in tone or grammar and is not always interchangeable.
To damage someone's reputation or good name
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
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Usage distinction
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CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See besmirch in use
An anonymous accusation threatened to besmirch her reputation.
He refused to besmirch a rival merely to win an argument.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license