aspersion

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noun as·per·sion \ ə-ˈspər-zhən , -shən \

Definition of aspersion

1 a :a false or misleading charge meant to harm someone's reputation

casting aspersions on her integrity

b :the act of making such a charge :defamation

2 :a sprinkling with water especially in religious ceremonies

the aspersion of the congregation before Mass

See aspersion defined for kids

aspersion was our Word of the Day on 04/24/2011. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of aspersion from the Web

That high-profile collapse capped off a singularly unproductive first six months for a president, and led Trump, not for the first time, to cast aspersions on his own party.

— benjamin hart, Daily Intelligencer, "Charlottesville Shows That Republicans Are More Willing to Rebuke Trump," 13 Aug. 2017
MSNBC's Morning Joe relied on the same story except, of course, there were no aspersions cast on Mueller and the drift was that Trump is out of control.

— The Hive, "The Damning Truth About Trump and the Press," 21 July 2017
The strategy was clear: cast aspersions on the journalist's old reporting to make his new reporting appear suspect.

— callum borchers, Washington Post, "The threat now lurking behind Trump’s media-slamming tweets," 17 July 2017
As if Freeze didn't have enough questions to answer or dodge here Thursday with the Ole Miss case speeding toward an Infractions Committee hearing, Nutt's lawsuit casts aspersions on his integrity, his adherence to NCAA rules as well as his faith.

— matt scalici, AL.com, "Who can stop Alabama?," 12 July 2017
There are people throwing aspersions on his program.

— melinda morris, NOLA.com, "Angry at Roger Waters? Here's what to expect at other upcoming shows in New Orleans," 11 July 2017
While U.S. officials are casting aspersions on his company’s products, privacy advocates see a threat in increasing government pressure for tech companies to provide security backdoors.

— david z. morris, Fortune, "Russian Cybersecurity CEO Offers Source Code for U.S. Inspection," 2 July 2017
In addition to honest criticisms, there have also been a raft of wholly dishonest aspersions cast at Musk and the company.

— eric berger, Ars Technica, "After nine launches in 2017, it’s tough to be an honest critic of SpaceX," 26 June 2017
Rubio called on Trump and the administration to let the investigation go forward and not cast aspersions.

— eli watkins, CNN, "Rubio: Trump firing Mueller 'not going to happen'," 18 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'aspersion.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

aspersion Did Not Always Have Negative Connotations

No sweet aspersion shall the heavens let fall / To make this contract grow. In this line from Shakespeare's The Tempest, "aspersion" literally refers to a sprinkling of rain, but figuratively means "blessing." Shakespeare's use is true to the heritage of the term. "Aspersion" comes from the Latin word aspersus, itself a derivative of the verb "aspergere," which means "to sprinkle" or "to scatter." When "aspersion" first appeared in English in the 16th century, it referred to the type of sprinklings (for instance, of holy water) that occur in religious ceremonies. But English speakers noted that splatterings can soil and stain, and by the end of the century "aspersion" was also being used for reports that stain or tarnish a reputation.