aspersion

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

|Updated on: 27 May 2018

Editor's Note: aspersion Did Not Always Have Negative Connotations

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

And the Orioles, especially given the state of their division, probably can’t make realistic aspersions to contention in 2019 or 2020.

— ted berg, For The Win, "7 teams that could realistically pull off a trade for Manny Machado," 23 May 2018
In the wake of the shooting, local police presented narratives intended to cast aspersions on Mr. Brown’s character and lay out a coherent rationale for his death.

— glenn kenny, New York Times, "Spike Lee’s ‘Pass Over,’ an Offbeat Melding of Cinema and Theater," 11 May 2018
Tayler, while casting aspersions on the contractor Christopher Wylie, who has become a major source for reporting on Cambridge Analytica, also promised to release more information on the company’s practices.

— colin lecher, The Verge, "Cambridge Analytica says it’s conducting a third-party audit over Facebook data," 23 Mar. 2018
With Marsden McClintock and Cilla Barrows, Charles forms a clique of aesthetes who cast aspersions on now-dominant pop and conceptual art.

— dan cryer, San Francisco Chronicle, "‘The Italian Teacher,’ by Tom Rachman," 28 Mar. 2018
Both sides subsequently cast aspersions that the other side is not just morally bankrupt but also factually wrong.

— jennifer carlson, Vox, "Why so many American men want to be the “good guy with a gun”," 23 Mar. 2018
In casting spurious aspersions about subversion at the highest level of the federal government, Johnson has earned comparisons to another, historically infamous Wisconsin senator.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Ron Johnson Is Very Bad at McCarthyism," 7 Feb. 2018
But the last thing Browns decision makers, or fans, should do is use the failure of a past Browns quarterback to cast aspersions on a potential Browns quarterback.

— doug lesmerises, cleveland.com, "A dangerous, unfair quarterback comparison for Browns fans - Josh Allen isn't necessarily the next Brock Osweiler," 26 Jan. 2018
Margot Robbie serves an Oscar-worthy performance, reveling in Harding’s contradictions: her raw talent and self-sabotage, the unfair aspersions cast upon her, and her unwillingness to admit responsibility.

— elizabeth greenwood, Glamour, "Margot Robbie's Tonya Harding Will Make You Rethink Everything You Thought You Knew," 8 Dec. 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.