Meanings
plural aspersions
- An attack on someone's or something's reputation or good name; often in the phrase to cast aspersions upon….First known use late 16th c.
No criminality can be infered or punishment inflicted, but for writing, printing, uttering, or publishing false, scandalous and malicious aspersions against the government.
1799, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, “Resolutions of the House of Representatives of Pennsylvania to Kentucky”, in State Documents on Federal Relations, University of Pennsylvania, published 1906, page 212 more examples
Even the comfort of the bottle might conceivably fail him in this supreme crisis. At such an age nothing but a halter could cure the pangs of an unquenchable passion. And, besides, there was the wild exasperation aroused by the unjust aspersions and the contumely of the house, with the maddening impossibility to account for that mysterious thrashing, added to these simple and bitter sorrows.
1911, Joseph Conrad, Under Western EyesBack in 2018, the body representing the water industry was snorting at Gove’s aspersions, declaring hotly that it looked forward to its pet regulator “bringing some sorely needed facts and balance to the debate”.
2023 June 30, Marina Hyde, “The tide is coming in fast on Rishi Sunak – and it’s full of sewage”, in The GuardianSynonyms: calumny, slander, calumniousness, calumny, character assassination, defamation, detraction, disparagement
- obsoleteA sprinkling, especially of holy water.
If thou dost break her virgin knot before All sanctimonious ceremonies may With full and holy rite be minister'd, No sweet aspersion shall the heavens let fall To make this contract grow; but barren hate […]
1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn attack on someone's or something's reputation or good name; often in the phrase to cast aspersions upon….
More synonyms by meaning
nounan abusive attack on a person's character or good name
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinaspersiōnem
- Englishaspersion
From Latin aspersiōnem, from aspersiō (“sprinkling”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Czech očernění, očernění
- očerněnían attack on somebody's reputation or good name
- očerněnía sprinkling of holy water
- křivé obviněnía sprinkling of holy water
Dutch beschimping, belediging
- beschimpingan attack on somebody's reputation or good name
- beledigingan attack on somebody's reputation or good name
- besprenkelinga sprinkling of holy water
Finnish panettelu
- panetteluan attack on somebody's reputation or good name
German Verleumdung, abfällige Bemerkung
- Verleumdungan attack on somebody's reputation or good name
- abfällige Bemerkungan attack on somebody's reputation or good name
- Aspersiona sprinkling of holy water
- Besprengunga sprinkling of holy water
Italian diffamazione, calunnia
- diffamazionean attack on somebody's reputation or good name
- calunniaan attack on somebody's reputation or good name
- disdoroan attack on somebody's reputation or good name
- aspersionea sprinkling of holy water
Māori tīkai
- tīkaian attack on somebody's reputation or good name
Norwegian Bokmål baktalelse, bakvaskelse
- baktalelsean attack on somebody's reputation or good name
- bakvaskelsean attack on somebody's reputation or good name
- bestenkning (med vievann)a sprinkling of holy water
Persian افترا
- افترا (efterâ)an attack on somebody's reputation or good name
Polish aspersja
- aspersjaa sprinkling of holy water
Portuguese aspersão
- aspersãoa sprinkling of holy water
Russian клевета́, окропле́ние
- клевета́ (klevetá)an attack on somebody's reputation or good name
- окропле́ние (okroplénije)a sprinkling of holy water
Spanish calumnia, desdoro
- calumniaan attack on somebody's reputation or good name
- desdoroan attack on somebody's reputation or good name
- aspersióna sprinkling of holy water
- hisopadaa sprinkling of holy water
- hisopazoa sprinkling of holy water
- hisopaduraa sprinkling of holy water
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
aspersion. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aspersion
“aspersion.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aspersion. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “aspersion,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aspersion.
Source: aspersion on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.