Skip to main content
soil

soil

9 7.5
Something that damages a person's good name
  • noun
  • /sɔɪl/
translation icon : mancha
  • Our sacred soil has been soiled by a dog who crossed the border?

This one got a little soil on it in transport, but I'm impressed.

Examples

  • This soil is sacred with our family blood.

  • The soil is red with the blood of 100 races.

  • There is blood in this soil.

  • This one got a little soil on it in transport, but I'm impressed.

  • The sower is Christ, and the soil is a person's mind and spirit.

    Blog text (14)
  • A flood is going to wipe through this place, cleansing the soil of all sin.

  • A good half of his leaves and the top third of the potting soil littered the floor.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Similar trace soil evidence was embedded in scratches in her boots.

    Academic text (2017)
  • The soil, Marcus-- black.

  • She protested against the decision to soil the reputation of her beloved community.

Synonyms

dirt
vssoil
95 1.0

Substance that makes things unclean

focuses on a moral or lasting taint rather than just physical uncleanliness
contamination
vssoil
  • Specialized
76 4.8

Harmful things that make food, water, or places unsafe

is a simpler sense of a stain or taint without the safety emphasis
filth
vssoil
46 2.0

Dirt and disgusting things that make a place very dirty

describes a milder stain or taint without the strong emotional disgust
contaminant
vssoil
31 6.1

Something that makes water, soil or food unsafe

is the general idea of a stain or taint rather than the causing substance
grime
vssoil
15 2.3

Dirt and soot that make a surface look dirty

covers any tainting mark rather than only surface darkening
taint
vssoil
11 7.5

A small amount of something that harms a person’s or thing’s reputation

is the neutral idea of a stain rather than this harmful trace
crud
vssoil
  • Informal
9 6.3

Dirty, sticky stuff that makes things unclean

is the idea of a mark or taint rather than this nasty substance
grunge
vssoil
2 6.1

Dirt and grime that make something dirty

is the narrower idea of a particular stain or taint rather than general dirtiness
mud stain
vssoil
1 1.1

A mark on something made by wet mud

is a broader notion of a corrupting mark rather than this specific mark
soilage
vssoil
  • Archaic
9.1

Dirt or mess that makes something dirty

is the specific sense of a mark or taint rather than the whole process
grot
vssoil
  • Slang
9.9

Dirty mess or rubbish that makes a place unpleasant

is the single stain or taint concept rather than general messiness

Antonyms

26 1.0

Being free from dirt and keeping things tidy

25 3.1

The state of having no dirt or other things mixed in

Compounds

soil erosion
  • Specialized
3 3.8

The top part of land being worn away by rain or wind

3 2.3

Ground that is rich in nutrients and helps plants grow well

1 4.4

The land where you are born and grow up

1 2.5

Loose ground made mostly of sand that lets water drain quickly

soil conservation
  • Specialized
1 3.5

Actions that stop soil washing away and keep it good for growing plants

Soil that lets extra water drain away easily

night soil
  • NSFW
1 9.9

Human waste collected at night and used to fertilize fields

bog soil
  • Specialized
7.4

Soil that forms in bogs, very wet and made of dead plants

chernozemic soil
  • Specialized
9.9

Fertile black soil with a thick layer of rotting plant material that grows crops well

desertic soil
  • Specialized
8.1

Ground in desert areas that holds little water and few nutrients

Soil in very dry areas with little plant material

alluvial soil
  • Specialized
4.2

Fine earth left by rivers that is soft and very good for growing crops

A former 19th century US party that opposed slavery spreading into western lands

free-soil
  • Archaic
9.9

Of states or territories in the United States that did not allow slavery before the Civil War

leaf soil
  • Specialized
3.8

Earth made from dead leaves that break down and help plants grow

micaceous soil
  • Specialized
8.2

Soil that contains shiny mineral flakes and drains water well

gilgai soil
  • Australian
9.9

Soil with small raised areas and low dips that forms in clay and swells and shrinks

gumbo soil
  • Specialized
8.4

Heavy, sticky ground that becomes hard to work after rain

regur soil
  • Indian
9.9

A rich black soil found in India that is very good for growing cotton and other crops

residual soil
  • Specialized
7.6

Soil that stays above the rock it came from after the rock wears away

Soil made mostly of old, partly rotted plants that holds water and nutrients

podzol soil
  • Specialized
9.5

Acidic soil with low nutrients found under pine trees in cold, wet areas

9.9

A soil that forms in cold, wet areas under pine trees with a dark organic mat over a pale layer

Ground under tall grass that is very good for growing crops

surface soil
  • Specialized
3.4

The top layer of ground that has the most plant food

soil pipe
  • Specialized
5.6

A pipe that carries waste water from toilets and sinks to the drain

soil profile
  • Specialized
3.9

A side view of the ground showing soil layers from topsoil down to the rock beneath

A tool that removes stones and clumps from fine soil

soil bank
  • Archaic
6.6

A government plan that pays farmers to rest fields and grow plants to improve soil

soil conditioner
  • Specialized
4.0

A material added to soil like compost to help it hold water and let air in

soil horizon
  • Specialized
6.3

A layer of earth that is different from the layers above and below it

soil-borne
  • Specialized
4.2

Germs carried or growing in soil that cause plant disease

soil-building
  • Specialized
5.6

Plants grown to improve the soil and make it richer

7.7

Dark wet ground that has an always frozen layer under it in Arctic regions

Soil that still has stones or large clumps because it was not put through a sieve

How Dirty

defilement
23 9.1
soil
9 7.5
taint
11 7.5

Surface Forms

soil singular
soils plural

Etymology

Soil as a 'stain' comes from Old French words such as soillier meaning 'to dirty', and a helpful way to remember this is to see a stain as a bit of dirt that hurts a good name.