to bolster someone's reputation
1
4.2
- phrasal verb
- /ˈboʊlstər ˈsʌmˌwʌnz ˌrɛpjʊˈteɪʃən/
:
mejorar la reputación de alguien
- Winning the award helped bolster her reputation as a talented artist.
Examples
-
This drama, produced by soldiers and intended for the public, bolstered the reputation and prestige of the military to the detriment of other potential power bases.
Academic text (1991) -
The world learned that standing up to Washington on trade can be both a good bargaining strategy and good for the bargainer: Hashimoto's skill at repelling Kantor's attacks bolstered his reputation, helping to make him prime minister in January.
Academic text (1996) -
Even marginally better outcomes using clean water would bolster my reputation and business.
Blog text (24) -
Still, it made headlines and helped bolster Simenon's reputation.
Blog text (11) -
He led successful military campaigns in Italy and Egypt that bolstered his reputation.
Blog text (9) -
These two examples demonstrate that Tomochichi was well on his way toward winning the trust of influential persons in the new colony, which he could then use to bolster his reputation among his fellow Creeks.
Academic text (2008) -
His soft-spoken, genial, and sarcastic persona has only bolstered his reputation as a great storyteller both on the page and in person.
Blog text (3) -
Good citizenship among online communities (intelligently contributing to the discussion, not spamming) is a surefire way to bolster your reputation as a helpful member of the group.
Academic text (2007) -
Anxious to bolster Italy's reputation as an exporter of quality immigrants, Antonietti, ironically, used the occasion to recommend emigration from central and northern Italy.
Academic text (1991) -
Obama has been making a good-faith effort to extract us from a no-win situation in a way that bolsters the Democratic Party's reputation and election odds in what has become a distressingly right-wing country.
Blog text (3)
Synonyms
To improve how people think about someone after a mistake
To make the public think better of a person or company
To praise someone publicly online to improve their reputation
To give help to someone or something to make them stronger
Antonyms
How Reputable
- Formal
52
4.4
1
4.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
bolster + someone's + reputation
The meaning 'to improve or enhance the opinion that others have of someone' is directly and compositionally derived from 'bolster' (to support/strengthen) combined with 'someone's reputation' (people's beliefs about a person). This is a standard verb + noun collocation with a clear, cross-linguistically common logic, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Bolster someone's reputation comes from the old object bolster, a long pillow used to lift and support a weak part. One clear image is a pillow propping something up, so to bolster a reputation means to 'support' or 'improve' what people think of someone.