besmirching

Verb

besmirch (third-person singular simple present besmirches, present participle besmirching, simple past and past participle besmirched)

1. (literary, transitive) To make dirty.

   Synonyms:

   soil, sully, tarnish, assoil, beclart, bedaub, bedirty, imbrue (especially with blood), bedizen, befile

2. (transitive) To tarnish something, especially someone's reputation.
   • The newspaper was on a campaign to besmirch the actor.

   Synonyms:

   blacken, debase, libel, smear, slander, assassinate, asperse, backbite, badmouth, befoul

   Antonyms:

   unbesmirch