Thesaurus
foul
Synonyms and Antonyms of foul
1 to make dirty the mechanic fouled the bath towels with axle grease Synonyms befoul, begrime, bemire, besmirch, blacken, daub, distain [archaic], dirty, gaum [dialect], grime, mire, muck, muddy, smirch, smudge, soil, stain, sullyRelated Words contaminate, defile, pollute, taint; discolor; confuse, disarrange, disarray, dishevel, disorder, draggle, jumble, mess, muddle; colly [chiefly British dialect], crock [dialect]Near Antonyms decontaminate, purge, purify; disinfect, sanitize; brush, dry-clean, dust, launder, mop, rinse, scour, scrub, sweep, wash, wipe; brighten, deodorize, freshen, renew, spruce (up); straighten (up), tidy (up)Antonyms clean, cleanse
2 to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable industrial pollution fouling the water supply Synonyms befoul, defile, contaminate, poison, pollute, taintRelated Words infect; begrime, besmirch, blacken, dirty, foul up, grime, mire, muddy, smirch, smudge, soil, stain, sully; corrupt, rot, spoil; adulterate, doctor; dilute, water downNear Antonyms clarify, clean, cleanse, clear, distill (also distil), purge; filter; disinfect, sanitize, sterilizeAntonyms decontaminate, purify
3 to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes the minister was irreparably fouled by baseless rumors and allegations Synonyms abase, chasten, cheapen, debase, degrade, demean, discredit, disgrace, dishonor, humble, humiliate, lower, shame, sink, smirch, take downRelated Words abash, confound, confuse, discomfit, disconcert, discountenance, embarrass, faze, fluster, mortify, nonplus, rattle; belittle, castigate, criticize, cry down, decry, depreciate, detract, diminish, discount, disparage, minimize, put down, ridicule, write off; bad-mouth, defame, defile, libel, malign, slander; affront, insult; censure, condemn, damn, denounce, execrate, reprehend, reprobateNear Antonyms acclaim, applaud, boast, celebrate, cheer, cite, commend, compliment, congratulate, decorate, eulogize, extol (also extoll), fete (or fête), hail, honor, laud, praise, salute, tout; acknowledge, recognize; highlight, play up, spotlight; dignify, ennoble, enshrine, ensky, enthrone, glorify, magnify; advance, boost, lift, promote, raise, upgrade, uplift; idealize, romanticizeAntonyms aggrandize, canonize, deify, elevate, exalt
4 to go through decomposition unless you want to smell the organic refuse as it fouls, locate the compost heap away from the house Synonyms break down, corrupt, decompose, disintegrate, fester, decay, mold, molder, perish [chiefly British], putrefy, rot, spoilRelated Words sour, turn, turn off [British]; contaminate, defile, pollute, taint; addle, curdle, ferment; mortify; rust; crumble, decline, degenerate, descend, deteriorate, dilapidate, sink, witherNear Antonyms age, develop, grow, mature, ripen; refresh, renew, restore; cleanse, purify; assemble, compose, integrate; ameliorate, better, improve, meliorate
From the M-W Editors
foul
Synonyms and Antonyms of foul
1 marked by wet and windy conditions the foul weather brought out the windbreakers and rain slickers as everyone braced for a day of rough sailing Synonyms bleak, dirty, inclement, nasty, raw, rough, squally, stormy, tempestuous, turbulent Related Words blowy, blustering, blustery, breezy, gusty, windblown, windswept; cloudy, overcast, sunless; rainy, snowy; foggy, hazy, misty, murky, soupy Near Antonyms rainless; balmy, calm, halcyon, peaceful, placid, pleasant, serene Antonyms bright, clear, clement, cloudless, fair, sunny, sunshiny, unclouded
2 not being in accordance with the rules or standards of what is fair in sport an aggressive hockey player who is known for his foul play and readiness for a fight Synonyms dirty, illegal, nasty, unfair, unsportsmanlike Related Words dishonorable, shabby, shameful; ignoble, low, mean, ungentlemanly; immoral, rotten, unchivalrous, unethical, unjust, unprincipled, unrighteous, unscrupulous Phrases below the belt Near Antonyms just, law-abiding; ethical, moral, principled, righteous, scrupulous; honorable, irreproachable, unimpeachable Antonyms clean, fair, legal, sportsmanlike, sportsmanly
3 causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment a foul taste that made us gag Synonyms abhorrent, abominable, appalling, awful, disgusting, distasteful, dreadful, evil, offensive, fulsome, gross, hideous, horrendous, horrible, horrid, loathsome, nasty, nauseating, nauseous, noisome, noxious, obnoxious, obscene, odious, rancid, repellent (also repellant), repugnant, repulsive, revolting, scandalous, shocking, sickening, uglyRelated Words exceptionable, objectionable; brackish, disagreeable, dislikable (also dislikeable), unpleasant; contemptible, despicable, detestable, hard, hateful; unhealthy, unsavory, unwholesome; execrable, lousy, miserable; atrocious, frightful, ghastly, grim, grisly, gruesome (also grewsome), heinous, horrendous, horrific, horrifying, lurid, macabre, monstrous, nightmarish, shocking, sick, sickish, sickly, terrible, unspeakable, vile; off-putting, undesirable, unwanted, unwelcome; barbarous, unchristian, uncivilized, ungodly, unholy; distressing, disturbing, upsettingNear Antonyms acceptable, agreeable, alluring, appealing, attractive, blessed (also blest), congenial, darling, delectable, delicious, delightful, delightsome, desirable, dreamy, dulcet, enjoyable, felicitous, gratifying, heavenly, inviting, likable (or likeable), luscious, nice, palatable, pleasant, pleasing, pleasurable, satisfying, savory (also savoury), sweet, welcome; unexceptionable, unobjectionable; healthful, healthy, restorative, salubrious, salutary, wholesomeAntonyms innocuous, inoffensive
4 depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society that movie features nonstop foul language Synonyms bawdy, blue, coarse, crude, dirty, filthy, obscene, gross, gutter, impure, indecent, lascivious, lewd, locker-room, nasty, pornographic, porny, profane, raunchy, ribald, smutty, stag, trashy, unprintable, vulgar, wanton, X-ratedRelated Words broad, coarse-grained, gamy (or gamey), off, off-color (or off-colored), racy, risqué, salacious, salty, suggestive; barnyard, earthy, scatological; immodest, indecorous, indelicate, low, unbecoming; depraved, kinky, louche, naughty, perverse, perverted, wicked; exceptionable, objectionable, unacceptable, undesirable, unwanted, unwelcome; abhorrent, debasing, disgusting, loathsome, offensive, repellent (also repellant), repugnant, repulsive, revolting; distasteful, obnoxious, unpleasant; blamable, blameworthy, censurable, reprehensible; atrocious, infamous; abusive, scurrilous; hard-core, soft, soft-coreNear Antonyms priggish, prim, prudish, puritanical, staid, straitlaced (or straightlaced), Victorian; correct, decorous, genteel, nice, polite, proper, respectable, seemly; innocuous, inoffensive; acceptable, agreeable, desirable, pleasant, pleasing, welcome; appropriate, becoming, fit, meet, suitable; immaculate, perfect, pure, spotless, virginal; approved, endorsed (also indorsed), sanctionedAntonyms clean, decent, G-rated, nonobscene, wholesome
5 having an unpleasant smell the foul fumes from the paper mill Synonyms fetid, malodorous, frowsty [chiefly British], frowsy (or frowzy), funky, fusty, musty, noisome, rank, reeking, reeky, ripe, smelly, stenchy, stinking, stinky, strongRelated Words putrid, rancid, skunky, stale; bad, disgusting, offensive, repulsive, revolting, vile; decayed, decaying, decomposed, decomposing, rotted, rotten, rotting, spoiled, spoiling; dirty, filthy, nasty, noxious; odiferous, odoriferous, odorousNear Antonyms flowery, fruity, spicy, woodsyAntonyms ambrosial, aromatic, fragrant, perfumed, redolent, savory (also savoury), scented, sweet
6 not clean I wouldn't play in the foul rainwater that's collected in the feeding trough Synonyms bedraggled, befouled, begrimed, bemired, besmirched, black, blackened, cruddy, dingy, draggled, dusty, filthy, dirty, grimy, grotty [chiefly British], grubby, grungy, mucky, muddy, nasty, smudged, smutty, soiled, sordid, stained, sullied, unclean, uncleanlyRelated Words contaminated, defiled, germy, impure, polluted, tainted; insanitary, uncleaned, unsanitary, unsterile, unsterilized, unwashed; greasy, gunky; chaotic, cluttered, confused, disarranged, disarrayed, disheveled (or dishevelled), disordered, jumbled, littered, messed, messy, muddled, mussed, mussy, rumpled, scruffy, sloppy, slovenly, unkempt, untidy; raunchy, scuzzy [slang], shabby, skanky [slang], sleazy, squalid; collied [chiefly British dialect], crocked [dialect], fuliginous, sootyNear Antonyms clear, limpid, pure; cleaned, cleansed, combed, groomed, neat, ordered, orderly, tidy; bleached, purified, whitened; bright, flawless, perfect, shiny, sparkling, unspotted, untouched; taintless, unblemished, undefiled, unpolluted, untainted, virgin, wholesomeAntonyms clean, cleanly, immaculate, spick-and-span (or spic-and-span), spotless, stainless, ultraclean, unsoiled, unstained, unsullied
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