Synonyms

besmirch

American

[bih-smurch] / bɪˈsmɜrtʃ /

verb (used with object)

to soil; tarnish; discolor.
to detract from the honor or luster of.

to besmirch someone's good name.

Synonyms:

besmear, sully, discredit, dishonor, blacken, soil, tarnish, stain

besmirch British

/ bɪˈsmɜːtʃ /

verb

to make dirty; soil
to reduce the brightness or lustre of
to sully (often in the phrase besmirch ( a person's ) name )

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

besmircher noun
unbesmirched adjective

Etymology

Origin of besmirch

First recorded in 1590–1600; be- + smirch

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“New banks didn’t even call themselves banks and instead used the expression caisses, meaning ‘deposits,’ so besmirched was the banking industry’s reputation.

From The Wall Street Journal

Mr Yusuf said that he had never met Gill, and all he knew of him was what he had read in the newspapers, saying his actions should not "besmirch" Reform UK.

From BBC

As it turns out, Murray’s story doesn’t besmirch Candy’s memory at all.

From Salon

There was also criticism from the Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang'ula, who said the aim of the documentary was to "besmirch" Kenya.

From BBC

"It is an unadulterated lie because it tries to besmirch the very DNA of a new South Africa that was born under the leadership of someone like Nelson Mandela," he told the BBC World Service.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023