Nominal Forms
Infinitive: to besmirch
Participle: besmirched
Gerund: besmirching
Cognates
-
Indicative
Present
| I | besmirch |
| you | besmirch |
| he;she;it | besmirches |
| we | besmirch |
| you | besmirch |
| they | besmirch |
Perfect
| I | have besmirched |
| you | have besmirched |
| he;she;it | has besmirched |
| we | have besmirched |
| you | have besmirched |
| they | have besmirched |
Past
| I | besmirched |
| you | besmirched |
| he;she;it | besmirched |
| we | besmirched |
| you | besmirched |
| they | besmirched |
Pluperfect
| I | had besmirched |
| you | had besmirched |
| he;she;it | had besmirched |
| we | had besmirched |
| you | had besmirched |
| they | had besmirched |
Future
| I | will besmirch |
| you | will besmirch |
| he;she;it | will besmirch |
| we | will besmirch |
| you | will besmirch |
| they | will besmirch |
Future Perfect
| I | will have besmirched |
| you | will have besmirched |
| he;she;it | will have besmirched |
| we | will have besmirched |
| you | will have besmirched |
| they | will have besmirched |
Subjunctive
Present
| I | besmirch |
| you | besmirch |
| he;she;it | besmirch |
| we | besmirch |
| you | besmirch |
| they | besmirch |
Perfect
| I | have besmirched |
| you | have besmirched |
| he;she;it | have besmirched |
| we | have besmirched |
| you | have besmirched |
| they | have besmirched |
Imperfect
| I | besmirched |
| you | besmirched |
| he;she;it | besmirched |
| we | besmirched |
| you | besmirched |
| they | besmirched |
Pluperfect
| I | had besmirched |
| you | had besmirched |
| he;she;it | had besmirched |
| we | had besmirched |
| you | had besmirched |
| they | had besmirched |
Conditional
Present
| I | would besmirch |
| you | would besmirch |
| he;she;it | would besmirch |
| we | would besmirch |
| you | would besmirch |
| they | would besmirch |
Perfect
| I | would have besmirched |
| you | would have besmirched |
| he;she;it | would have besmirched |
| we | would have besmirched |
| you | would have besmirched |
| they | would have besmirched |
Imperative
| you | besmirch |
| we | Let's besmirch |
| you | besmirch |
Verbs conjugated like 'besmirch'
abash,
abolish,
abroach,
accomplish,
accroach,
address,
admix,
admonish,
ado,
adpress,
affamish,
affix,
alloo,
amass,
ambush,
anguish,
annex,
appeach,
appears,
approach, etc. (List truncated at 20 verbs)
Verbs similar to 'besmirch'
bescorch,
besmirk,
besmooch,
besmutch,
smirch,
bemercy,
bemire,
bepinch,
beseech,
besigh,
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
- to try to diminish the reputation of
- asperse, assassinate, backbite, badmouth, belibel, belittle, blaze, blemish, blot, calumniate, calumny, cloud, cut down, defame, demonize, denigrate, derogate, detract, discredit, disgrace, disparage, diss, forgab, infamize, libel, monster, reproach, scandal, shit-talk, slander, speak ill of, talk shit, talk shite, talk trash, traduce, trash-talk, vilify, vilipend, vituperate
- To make dirty; to soil.
- dirty
- slander
- denigrate, darken, defame, calumniate, blacken, sully, attack, vilify
Additional Information
Phrasal Verbs
Etymology
From Middle English besmorchen (attested in besmorchid). Compare Middle English bismotered (“bespattered, soiled”). By surface analysis, be- + smirch.
Sample Sentences
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The newspaper was on a campaign to besmirch the actor.
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Our gayness and our gilt are all besmirch'd
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With rainy marching in the painful field [1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):]
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"It may be," he replied, "because I will not encounter the dishonor that besmirches the husband of a faithless woman.[…]" [1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter, a Romance, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, →OCLC:]
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Sir Guy might still have slain him without besmirching his knightly honor [1928, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle:]