to asperse
- verb
- /əˈspɜrs/
- Formal
:
calumniar
- They determined that the resolution contained "false, scandalous, and malicious charges, tending to asperse the characters of the Trustees" and that Georgia's existence was imperative to the future of the British Empire.
Examples
-
The politician tried to asperse his opponent's character with lies, but the public saw through the falsehoods.
-
People often asperse others when they feel threatened or insecure about their own lives.
-
It was in a past crossword and caused people to asperse.
Blog text (26) -
At first, it seems that poetry is celebrated as a possible and desirable means of representing the truth: unjustly, poets we asperse;
Fiction book (1991) -
I do not intend to pour scorn on a moral code of catechism or asperse the faithful practicing catechism.
Blog text (4) -
It is unjust to asperse someone without any evidence or reason, as it can harm their reputation.
Synonyms
55
6.1
To make false or unfair statements to hurt someone's reputation
48
7.8
To say bad things about someone without a good reason to make them seem less important
31
6.3
To say false things that damage someone's reputation
18
6.8
To say false things about someone that harm their good name
14
8.8
Make a person or company look bad by saying bad things about them
13
7.6
Make someone's good name seem bad
1
9.9
To say false things about someone to harm their reputation
1
9.9
To damage someone's name by saying false things about them
Antonyms
How Damaging
Surface Forms
Etymology
Asperse comes from the Latin aspergere, which meant 'to sprinkle' and is like the word disperse ('to scatter'). So to asperse someone is like 'sprinkling' them with dirt or bad words, meaning you make false statements that hurt their reputation.