Aspersion \As*per"sion\, n. [L. aspersio, fr. aspergere: cf. F.
aspersion.]
1. A sprinkling, as with water or dust, in a literal sense.
[1913 Webster]
Behold an immersion, not and aspersion. --Jer.
Taylor.
[1913 Webster]
2. The spreading of calumniations reports or charges which
tarnish reputation, like the bespattering of a body with
foul water; calumny.
[1913 Webster]
Every candid critic would be ashamed to cast
wholesale aspersions on the entire body of
professional teachers. --Grote.
[1913 Webster]
Who would by base aspersions blot thy virtue.
--Dryden.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
aspersion
n 1: a disparaging remark; "in the 19th century any reference to
female sexuality was considered a vile aspersion"; "it
is difficult for a woman to understand a man's
sensitivity to any slur on his virility" [syn: slur]
2: an abusive attack on a person's character or good name [syn:
calumny, slander, defamation, denigration]
3: the act of sprinkling water in baptism (rare) [syn: sprinkling]
WordNet (r) 2.0
131 Moby Thesaurus words for "aspersion":
abuse, adverse criticism, affront, affusion, agape, allegation,
animadversion, aspergation, asperges, atrocity,
auricular confession, backbiting, bad notices, bad press, baptism,
baptismal gown, baptismal regeneration, baptistery, baptizement,
bar mitzvah, bas mitzvah, brickbat, calumny, captiousness, carping,
cavil, caviling, celebration, censoriousness, chrismal,
christening, circumcision, confession, confirmation, contempt,
contumely, criticism, cut, defamation, despite, detraction,
disparagement, dump, enormity, exception, faultfinding, flak,
flout, flouting, font, gibe, hairsplitting, high celebration, hit,
home thrust, hostile criticism, humiliation, hypercriticalness,
hypercriticism, immersion, imputation, incense, indignity,
infusion, injury, innuendo, insinuation, insult, invective,
invocation, invocation of saints, jeer, jeering, kiss of peace,
knock, lampoon, lesser litany, libel, litany, love feast,
lustration, mock, mockery, muck, nagging, niggle, niggling, nit,
nit-picking, obloquy, offense, outrage, overcriticalness,
pasquinade, pax, personal remark, personality, pestering,
pettifogging, priggishness, processional, put-down, quibble,
quibbling, rap, reciting the rosary, reflection, reproachfulness,
scandal, scoff, scurrility, skit, slam, slander, slur,
sly suggestion, sprinkling, squib, stricture, suggestion, swipe,
taking exception, taunt, telling of beads, the confessional,
the confessionary, total immersion, trichoschistism,
uncomplimentary remark, vituperation, whispering campaign
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
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