ASPERSIONS Synonyms: 75 Similar and Opposite Words

aspersions

noun

plural of aspersion

as in criticisms

an unfair criticism or false accusation meant to damage another's reputation Let's keep the debate focused on the issues and try to avoid casting aspersions on one another. I don't mean to cast aspersions on his integrity, but I'm not sure I'd trust him with the money.

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of aspersions The Tigers’ middling performance against Troy and sloppy play in spurts has cast some aspersions on their aspirations. — Pj Green september 22, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2026 Who might emerge as the provocateur of the Premier League touchline and who might cast dark aspersions in press conferences? — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026 Amid aspersions and attack ads, the pair nearly came to blows at a community debate. — Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2026 Not Calvin Klein casting gay aspersions! — Emma Specter, Vogue, 19 Feb. 2026 But in the end, their stories were deeper than the aspersions cast upon them. — Hunter Ingram, Variety, 8 Nov. 2025 And in mid-century America, there were so many aspersions to be cast! — David Merritt Johns, The Atlantic, 2 Nov. 2025 Their online parlance is punctuated by empty enthusiasms, vicious aspersions, and obvious hypocrisies that rarely matter. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 30 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for aspersions

Noun

Alongside his criticisms of Britain, the Argentine president devoted some invective to the United Nations itself.

— Adrienne Vogt, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2026
Yet the traditions of these holidays stand alongside the criticisms, both of which allow for debate, revision of celebration, and dissemination of knowledge without tossing out holidays wholesale.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of criticisms

Noun

Asif said the Houthis had intensified missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia and expanded their control along Yemen's Red Sea coast.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Sep. 2026
In the case of the Ratepayer Protection Act, Republicans were searching for an answer to Democratic attacks on data centers and the higher energy prices consumers fear will come from their construction.

— David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of attacks

Noun

The insinuations of business hucksterism are one thing that could provoke him, more intimate details are another.

— Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
Coverage of the story dovetailed with a hail of memes and insinuations online that Crockett is a zealot or a pretend cowboy out of his depth.

— Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of insinuations

Noun

Since the lawsuit was filed, Van Houten said, his office has been flooded with phone calls, voicemails and emails about the case from people seeking answers and others making insults and threats.

— Dave Collins, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026
But Ridgeway pushes on, trying various means — flattery, insults, amateur psychology — to cajole her into delivering a new Ripley book.

— Damon Wise, Deadline, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of insults

Noun

Changing Charlotte skyline In recent years, Charlotte’s skyline has been changing with more names going on buildings, including Wells Fargo, Ally, Barings and Regions.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 28 Sep. 2026
In the United States, the top names are numerical—Main/First, Second, Third, and Fourth—as if its towns were coördinate planes.

— Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of names

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“Aspersions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aspersions. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of aspersions

noun

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