Word.ws English Dictionary

Synonyms of smear

115 similar words

Another word for smear is plaster. Other synonyms of smear are soil, daub, dirty, foul and spot.

Synonyms and similar words for smear

verbTo spread (a substance, especially one that colours or is dirty) across a surface by rubbing.

  • apply
  • daubTo apply (something) to a surface in hasty or crude strokes.
  • plasterTo smear with some viscous or liquid substance.
  • spreadTo smear, to distribute in a thin layer.

verbTo cover (a surface with a layer of some substance) by rubbing.

verbTo make something dirty.

  • besmirchTo make dirty.
  • dirtyTo stain or tarnish (somebody) with dishonor.
  • soilTo make dirty.
  • sullyTo soil or stain; to dirty.
  • beclart UK, dialectalTo besmear; bedaub; bemire; smear all over with dirt.
  • bedirtyTo dirty, soil; make dirty.
  • bedizen UK, dialectalTo make (someone or something) dirty; to bedaub, to besmear, to dirty.
  • befoulTo make foul; to soil; to contaminate, pollute.
  • begrimeTo ingrain grime or dirt which is difficult to remove into (something); also (more generally), to make (something)...
  • beshit figuratively, vulgarTo soil; to spoil; to defile; to befoul.
  • besmearTo smear over, to smear all over, to daub.
  • besullyTo make sullied or soiled; defile.
  • blackenTo make dirty.
  • blotTo impair; to damage; to mar; to soil.
  • clatTo dirty.
  • contaminateTo soil, stain, corrupt, or infect by contact or association.
  • darkenTo make foul; to sully; to tarnish.
  • defileTo make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean; to befoul, to soil.
  • dirtenTo make or become dirty or soiled.
  • elt ScotlandTo begrime; soil with mud; daub; smear.
  • foulTo make dirty.
  • gunkTo soil or make dirty.
  • gunk upTo soil or dirty; to mess up; to clog.
  • inquinateTo pollute or make dirty.
  • scungeTo mark with scunge; to begrime or besmirch.
  • sling mud
  • slotterTo make filthy; to foul.
  • slurTo soil; to sully; to contaminate; to disgrace.
  • smirchTo dirty; to make dirty.
  • smudgeTo obscure by blurring; to smear.
  • smutTo stain (or be stained) with soot or other dirt.
  • smutchTo soil, stain or smudge.
  • soss UK, dialectalTo soil; to make dirty.
  • spotTo stain; to leave a spot (on).
  • stainTo discolor, as by spilling or other contact with a fluid or substance.
  • sullowTo sully.
  • tarnishTo compromise, damage, soil, or sully.
  • assoil obsoleteTo make (something) dirty or soiled; to soil; to stain; to sully.
  • imbrue (especially with blood) archaic, literary
  • befile obsoleteTo make filthy; befoul; soil.
  • befilth rareTo cover with filth; make filthy; begrime.
  • beray archaic, obsoleteTo make foul; befoul; soil.
  • bewray archaic, obsoleteTo accuse; malign; speak evil of.
  • blur obsoleteTo smear, stain or smudge.
  • file archaicTo defile.
  • foil obsoleteTo defile; to soil.
  • sowl obsoleteTo soil or stain; to dirty.
  • uggle UK, dialectalTo make dirty.

verbTo damage someone's reputation by slandering, misrepresenting, or otherwise making false...

  • badmouthTo criticize or malign, especially unfairly or spitefully.
  • defame
  • vilifyTo say defamatory things about someone or something; to speak ill of.
  • assassinate figurativelyTo harm, ruin, or defame severely or destroy by treachery, slander, libel, or obscure attack.
  • asperseTo falsely or maliciously charge someone.
  • backbiteTo make spiteful slanderous or defamatory statements about someone.
  • blazeTo disclose; bewray; defame.
  • blemishTo tarnish (reputation, character, etc.); to defame.
  • calumniateTo levy a false charge against, especially of a vague offense, with the intent to damage someone's reputation or...
  • calumnyTo make false accusations or levy false charges against a person with the intent to tarnish that person's reputation or...
  • chat shit slang, vulgarTo untruthfully speak of another in a belittling, deprecative, slighting manner, either in person or in absentia.
  • chat shite Ireland, UK
  • cloudTo blacken; to sully; to stain; to tarnish (reputation or character).
  • demonize figurativelyTo describe or represent as evil or diabolic, usually falsely.
  • denigrateTo criticize so as to besmirch; traduce, disparage or defame.
  • depraveTo speak ill of; to depreciate; to malign; to revile.
  • depreciateTo belittle or disparage.
  • detractTo take credit or reputation from; to derogate; to defame or decry.
  • discredit
  • disgraceTo put someone or something out of favor; to bring shame or ignominy upon.
  • disparage
  • disreputeTo bring into disrepute; to hold in dishonor.
  • diss slangTo put (someone) down, or show disrespect by the use of insulting language or dismissive behaviour.
  • drag through the mudTo tarnish or spoil enough so that something or someone is no longer respectable.
  • infamizeTo make infamous; to defame or smear.
  • lampoonTo satirize or poke fun at.
  • libelTo defame (someone), especially in a manner that meets the legal definition of libel.
  • malignTo make defamatory statements about; to slander or traduce.
  • monsterizeTo give someone a very bad reputation; demonize, vilify.
  • muddy figurativelyTo damage (a person or their reputation); to sully, to tarnish.
  • reproachTo disgrace, or bring shame upon.
  • revileTo attack (someone) with abusive language.
  • shit-talk slang, vulgar
  • slag UK, slangTo talk badly about; to malign or denigrate (someone).
  • speak ill ofTo vilify; to defame; to criticize.
  • stab figurativelyTo injure secretly or by malicious falsehood or slander.
  • talk shit slang, vulgarTo untruthfully speak of another in a belittling, deprecative, slighting manner, either in person or in absentia.
  • talk shite UK, slangTo talk badly about something.
  • talk trash US, slangTo untruthfully speak of another in a belittling, deprecative, slighting manner, either in person or in absentia.
  • torch figurativelyTo make damaging claims about (someone or something); to ruin the reputation of (someone or something); to disparage...
  • traduceTo malign a person or entity by making malicious and false or defamatory statements.
  • trash-talk US, slangTo insult a rival in a disparaging way.
  • unflatterTo show or display in a bad light; to portray unfavorably.
  • villainizeTo represent as a villain.
  • wrongTo slander; to impute evil to unjustly.
  • belibel datedTo libel, slander, calumniate.
  • blame obsoleteTo bring into disrepute.
  • forgab obsoleteTo mock; deride; defame; publish the misdeeds of.
  • forspeak obsoleteTo say bad things about; to slander.
  • scandal obsoleteTo defame; to slander.
  • slander obsoleteTo utter a slanderous statement about; baselessly speak ill of; to wrong.
  • spatter figuratively, obsoleteTo injure by aspersion; to defame.
  • vilipend dated, formalTo express a disparaging opinion of; to slander or vilify.

nounA mark made by smearing.

nounA presentation of a sauce, purée or other food item, which is placed in a dollop and spread across...

  • swooshA presentation of a sauce, purée or other food item, which is placed in a dollop and smeared across the plate.

nounA false or unsupported, malicious statement intended to injure a person's reputation.

  • mudslingingCasting aspersions with intent to discredit.

nounA preparation to be examined under a microscope, made by spreading a thin layer of a substance...

  • squashA preparation made by placing material on a slide (flat, rectangular piece of glass), covering it and applying pressure.

nounA Pap smear (screening test for cervical cancer).

  • cervical smearSynonym of Pap test.
  • Pap testA screening test to detect pre-cancerous and cancerous cells by taking a sample ('smear') of cells from the cervix.

Meaning of smear

  1. verb To spread (a substance, especially one that colours or is dirty) across a surface by rubbing.
  2. verb To cover (a surface with a layer of some substance) by rubbing.
  3. verb To make something dirty.

Full definition of smear

smear in other languages

Questions about synonyms of smear

What is another word for smear?
Smear has 115 synonyms on Word.ws, such as plaster, soil, daub, dirty, foul, spot, spread and stain.
What does smear mean?
Smear means to spread (a substance, especially one that colours or is dirty) across a surface by rubbing.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: smear (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “Synonyms of smear.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/smear. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.