as in criticism
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of aspersion
The author casts unconfirmed aspersions on the agency.
—
Torie Bosch, STAT, 23 Dec. 2023
This potential smoking gun could be a destabilizing and demoralizing blow for many members of the Indigenous community, who in the past 12 months also have seen aspersions cast on the heritage of high-profile figures including Sacheen Littlefeather and independent film producer Heather Rae.
—Rebecca Sun, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Oct. 2023
Each apologized profusely, but qualified it with vicious aspersions on the other.
—John Jeremiah Sullivan, Harper's Magazine, 14 Aug. 2023
Klimek: There's some aspersions about men with facial hair there.
—Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 July 2023
See All Example Sentences for aspersion
Torie Bosch, STAT, 23 Dec. 2023
This potential smoking gun could be a destabilizing and demoralizing blow for many members of the Indigenous community, who in the past 12 months also have seen aspersions cast on the heritage of high-profile figures including Sacheen Littlefeather and independent film producer Heather Rae.
—Rebecca Sun, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Oct. 2023
Each apologized profusely, but qualified it with vicious aspersions on the other.
—John Jeremiah Sullivan, Harper's Magazine, 14 Aug. 2023
Klimek: There's some aspersions about men with facial hair there.
—Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 July 2023
See All Example Sentences for aspersion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aspersion
Noun
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Among Democrats, criticism has grown louder as the war becomes deeply unpopular with the party base.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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But the Cowboys, who gave out big extensions to wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and quarterback Dak Prescott, couldn't come to terms with him on a new deal, which led to Jones receiving plenty of criticism.—
Robert Marvi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Management will need to throw many darts and hope to get a few close to the center of the board.—
Dr. Jonathan Reichental,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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Rortvedt, the automatic runner, challenged McCray, who unfurled a dart for the double play.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Bin Laden, through the al-Qaida terrorist organization, targeted the United States for nearly a decade before the 9/11 attacks in 2001, utilizing this large and expansive infrastructure.—
Richard Frankel,
ABC News,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Polish officials said 19 objects entered its airspace during a large Russian air attack on Ukraine.—
George Petras,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The nearly 25-year-old business organization declined to share the name of the affected company, but said that other members still didn’t have clarity on a consistent process for accessing the minerals.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
17 Sep. 2025
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In the film, Bajpayee plays the police officer while Jim Sarbh essays the role of the killer who goes by the fictional name Carl Bhojraj.—
Sweta Kaushal,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The Sermon on the ‘Mount episode also represented, amid the resulting furor on the right, a canny announcement that the collected calumnies of creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are finally available on the Paramount Plus streaming service, after years licensed on Warner Bros.—
David Bloom,
Forbes.com,
28 July 2025
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That’s when his ugly-American calumny turned to blather.—
Armond White,
National Review,
28 May 2025
Noun
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Walsh is seeking both a public censure and the judge’s removal from the bench.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
9 Sep. 2025
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The censure resolution stated that McIver is alleged to have slammed her forearm into the body of an HSI officer, in addition to forcibly grabbing the officer.—
Jenna Sundel
Jason Lemon,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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But the friendship fell apart earlier this year when Farage refused to echo Musk’s support for Robinson, the founder of the now-defunct anti-immigration English Defence League (EDL), who was previously jailed for being in contempt of court by repeating false accusations about a Syrian refugee.—
Catherine Nicholls,
CNN Money,
14 Sep. 2025
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My dream of becoming a woman was exchanged for a different fantasy, a kind of eternal world of teen-agers, who had nothing but contempt for adults.—
Rachel Kushner,
New Yorker,
14 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Aspersion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aspersion. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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