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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Anti-SLAPP laws are generally used to prevent people from using expensive defamation suits to target or punish others for their speech.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
27 Jan. 2026 -
The actress, 39, is featured in Silenced, which centers around the weaponization of defamation laws against abuse survivors.—
Raven Brunner,
PEOPLE,
25 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Many researchers cite those exact words as insulting or wrong when asked about their own terminations.—
STAT Staff,
STAT,
29 Dec. 2025
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With two toddlers and a 10-hour workday for her husband, the advice was more insulting than helpful.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
7 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The vacuum cleaner has powerful suction, 8,000 Pa, and the mop cleans without sloshing and smearing water on the floor.—
Terri Williams,
Architectural Digest,
6 Jan. 2026
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Despite the controversy, most Glamour staffers can recall smearing on play makeup or stealing mommy’s moisturizer.—
Ariana Yaptangco,
Glamour,
13 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Baldoni denied the claims and filed a $400 million defamation suit against Lively as well as a $250 million libel lawsuit against The Times, both of which have since been tossed.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
21 Jan. 2026
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The filing was later tossed, as was Baldoni’s $250 million libel lawsuit against The New York Times for its coverage of Lively’s allegations.—
Jami Ganz,
Mercury News,
16 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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For coastal communities, the result can crash fish stocks, threatening jobs in fishing and processing and degrading marine ecosystems, which makes coastal areas less attractive for tourism and recreation.—
Hossain Ahmed Taufiq,
The Conversation,
15 Jan. 2026
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As advertised, Episode 1 was wildly degrading for contestants and weirdly nostalgic for viewers.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The court upheld the wrongful termination verdict but found the prosecutor failed to specify which statements were defamatory.—
Taylor Seely,
AZCentral.com,
17 Jan. 2026
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Jenin, Jenin was banned in Israel, and Bakri was ordered by the Israel's Supreme Court in 2022 to pay tens of thousands of dollars after the group found that the film was defamatory to an Israeli military officer.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Dec. 2025
Verb
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This announcement, humiliating the involved member, is harmful.—
Kelly G. Richardson,
Oc Register,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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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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And in this age of clickbait journalism, even those members of the legacy media have resorted to libelous headlines and false reports to generate views.—
Zach Schonfeld,
The Hill,
24 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Aspersing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aspersing. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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