woman of ill repute
- noun
- Offensive
:
mujer de mala reputación (despectivo)
- She was unfairly labeled a woman of ill repute because of rumors spread around the village.
Examples
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The novel's main character is a woman of ill repute who struggles against social prejudice.
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Although known as a woman of ill repute, she was deeply respected by those who knew her true nature.
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She is often labeled a woman of ill repute in the neighborhood.
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Many women of ill repute faced discrimination in the past.
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Despite being called a woman of ill repute, she worked tirelessly to support her community.
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The town's gossip portrayed her as a woman of ill repute, but she was known for her kindness and generosity.
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In the story, the woman of ill repute becomes a hero by helping others despite societal judgment.
Synonyms
A woman known for having a bad reputation because of her sexual life
Antonyms
How Respectable
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines 'woman' with the composed meaning 'ill repute' (literally 'bad reputation'), so a learner who knows 'ill' and 'repute' can infer it refers to a woman with a bad or morally questionable reputation. The composition is regular and cross-linguistically common (X of ill/bad repute = X with a bad reputation), making the expression immediately understandable to B1 learners.
Etymology
Woman of ill repute The phrase comes from older formal speech where ill meant 'bad' and repute meant 'reputation', so it painted a picture of a woman with a 'bad name' in her town. That's why today it means a woman who is seen as having a 'bad reputation' because of her behaviour.