slur

[ slur ]

/ slɜr /

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See synonyms for: slur / slurred / slurring on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), slurred, slur·ring.

to pass over lightly or without due mention or consideration (often followed by over): The report slurred over her contribution to the enterprise.

to pronounce (a syllable, word, etc.) indistinctly by combining, reducing, or omitting sounds, as in hurried or careless utterance.

to cast aspersions on; calumniate; disparage; depreciate: The candidate was viciously slurred by his opponent.

Music.

to sing to a single syllable or play without a break (two or more tones of different pitch).
to mark with a slur.

Chiefly British Dialect. to smirch, sully, or stain.

verb (used without object), slurred, slur·ring.

to read, speak, or sing hurriedly and carelessly.

noun

a slurred utterance or sound.

a disparaging remark or a slight: quick to take offense at a slur; an ethnic slur against people of Irish descent.

a blot or stain, as upon reputation: a slur on his good name.

Music.

the combination of two or more tones of different pitch, sung to a single syllable or played without a break.
a curved mark indicating this.

Printing. a spot that is blurred or unclear as a result of paper, plate, or blanket slippage.

OTHER WORDS FOR slur

1 slight, disregard, gloss.

3 slander, asperse.

8 innuendo, insult, affront.

9 stigma, disgrace.

See synonyms for slur on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR slur

8 compliment.

See antonyms for slur on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of slur

First recorded in 1595–1605; of multiple origins; in the sense “pass over without due consideration,” compare Low German slurren “to shuffle,” Dutch sleuren “to trail, drag”; in the sense “blot or stain,” compare Middle Dutch slore (Dutch sloor ) “sluttish woman”

OTHER WORDS FROM slur

un·slurred, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use slur in a sentence

The slurring of relationships and transactions has effects ranging from the gruesome to the melancholy.
Meet The Former Call Girl Saving Hookers For Jesus|Elizabeth Stoker Bruenig|July 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Shawn and Shelley sat in the sun at the pool until Jerry Lee came out, looking mean and slurring his words.
The Strange and Mysterious Death of Mrs. Jerry Lee Lewis|Richard Ben Cramer|January 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He did not appear drunk in any obvious weaving, slurring way.
Tina Brown: No, Conspiracy Theorists, Princess Diana Was Not Murdered|Tina Brown|August 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It turns out that as a slurring, stumbling Weeble Wobble of a trophy wife, Akerman really shines.
Fall-Winter TV Preview: Snap Judgments of 2013–14’s New Shows|Jace Lacob, Kevin Fallon|July 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Slurring her words and stumbling on her delivery, people wondered aloud if, gasp, Sawyer was drunk on air.
13 Must-See Moments From Election Night (VIDEO)|Jake Heller, Ben Teitelbaum|November 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST
A further example of the slurring over of syllables by the uneducated (qu' for que, m' for me, vot' for votre, Etc.).
Contes Franais|Douglas Labaree Buffum
Nothing so quickly gives an effect of slovenly speech as the slurring of consonants, where it is not generally adopted.
The Sounds of Spoken English|Walter Rippmann
The most common fault is indistinctness—slurring over or leaving out notes.
Piano Mastery|Harriette Brower
On came the figure, its long arms swinging mechanically, and its feet slurring over the stone pavement.
The Land of the Changing Sun|William N. Harben
Even as a tiny boy he had brazened it out, boasting of his mental achievements and slurring the weakness of his stunted body.
The Gay Cockade|Temple Bailey

British Dictionary definitions for slur

slur

/ (slɜː) /

verb slurs, slurring or slurred (mainly tr)

(often foll by over) to treat superficially, hastily, or without due deliberation; gloss

(also intr) to pronounce or utter (words, etc) indistinctly

to speak disparagingly of or cast aspersions on

music to execute (a melodic interval of two or more notes) smoothly, as in legato performance

(also intr) to blur or smear

archaic to stain or smear; sully

noun

an indistinct sound or utterance

a slighting remark; aspersion

a stain or disgrace, as upon one's reputation; stigma

music

a performance or execution of a melodic interval of two or more notes in a part
the curved line (⌢ or ⌣) indicating this

a blur or smear

Word Origin for slur

C15: probably from Middle Low German; compare Middle Low German slūren to drag, trail, Middle Dutch sloren, Dutch sleuren

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

slur

OTHER WORDS FOR slur

OPPOSITES FOR slur

Origin of slur

OTHER WORDS FROM slur

Words related to slur

How to use slur in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for slur

Word Origin for slur