as in defamation
the making of false statements that damage another's reputation
she has refused to take part in the mean-spirited aspersing in which so many political candidates indulge
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in insulting
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in smearing
to make untrue and harmful statements about
how dare you asperse the character of our dedicated pastor!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aspersing
Noun
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The Robinsons have denied the allegations and counter-sued the women for defamation and elder abuse.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
13 Apr. 2026 -
The group has faced multiple defamation lawsuits from those who were fired; only one has been elevated to federal court.—
Mikayla Price,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Survivors rejected the offer, calling it insulting.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
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The cast’s sole survivor is Jessica Hecht, who pours miraculous warmth and complexity into her faintly insulting role as Colleen, the head teller, a morally upright spinster goosed by her flirtation with Sonny and the spotlight.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In 2012, the gossip site Gawker, infamous for smearing conservative activists, published embarrassing footage of Hogan that had been secretly recorded and had no legitimate news value.—
George Harris,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The pigment lasts all day without smearing.—
Catharine Malzahn,
Glamour,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Online filings show Harry and his friend, Mark Dyer, a former trustee at the charity, are being sued for either libel or slander.—
Brian Melley,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
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The court record shows Harry and Dyer, a former Sentebale trustee, are being sued for libel and slander.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Amnesty International has said that the use of the death penalty under the new measure could violate the right to life and the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, as enshrined in international law.—
Julia Frankel,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
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For Hildegard…women’s maternal bodies were not corrupting and degrading, but strong, nurturing, and creative.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Judge Gayles, however, did not rule on the veracity of the Journal’s article or whether the facts in it are true and therefore not defamatory toward the president; attorneys for the paper and Murdoch had sought such a determination and for the case to be thrown out entirely.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Apr. 2026
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Responding to the lawsuit, Meiner said the filing contains inaccuracies and suggested the statements at issue could be defamatory.—
Abby Dodge,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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State caseworkers have sent an untold number of elders in their care to a coterie of homes with a history of hurting, ignoring or humiliating their residents, records and anguished families say.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
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These clips often use humor and pop‑culture aesthetics—even LEGO‑style animations—to show Iran’s late supreme leader outsmarting and humiliating his American adversaries.—
Newsweek Editors,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Breuer also accused Moore of using a Jan. 26 news conference, four days after the building was evacuated, to spread falsehoods about the company, which Breuer said could be deemed libelous.—
Drake Bentley,
jsonline.com,
5 Mar. 2026
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In recent weeks, though, her group has doubled in size, and while in the past there were only two or three posts per day, Mitchell and her new moderators now have to wade through 60-plus comments ranging from helpful to libelous.—
Brenna Ehrlich,
Rolling Stone,
25 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Aspersing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aspersing. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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