veiled accusation
- noun
- /veɪld əˈkjuːzeɪʃən/
:
acusación velada
- Olds stared back, first scowling, then his eyes widening as he understood the look's veiled accusation.
Examples
-
Not only are these barely veiled accusations of racism and misogyny self-indulgent, they're also illogical.
Blog text (29) -
Oh, I just can't respond to the committee's lightly veiled accusations... because it's not okay for them to be made.
-
"It was the first time she'd lit into Yvonne, but she was tired of her snide remarks and her veiled accusations.
Fiction book (1990) -
The injustice of Sean's veiled accusations, mixed with my very real infatuation and guilt at not serving the cause better, turned my stomach.
Fiction book (1993) -
She made a veiled accusation about his motives, suggesting he acted selfishly without stating it outright.
-
During the debate, the speaker's veiled accusation hinted that the opposing party was not being truthful.
-
His comments contained a veiled accusation towards her loyalty, implying doubt without saying it directly.
Synonyms
43
8.0
A remark that hints something bad about someone
18
7.2
A quiet suggestion that someone did something wrong
A look or silence that shows someone thinks you did something wrong
How Direct
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an accusation made indirectly or subtly' is directly derivable from 'veiled' (hidden/not directly stated) + 'accusation' (a claim someone did wrong); the adjective straightforwardly modifies the noun to indicate indirectness. This compositional pattern is cross-linguistically common and would be accessible to an average B1 learner who knows both constituent words.
Etymology
Veiled accusation comes from the image of someone who is veiled, so the accusation is covered and not said clearly. That's why it means 'a charge' or 'blame' said 'indirectly'.