asperse


Also found in: Thesaurus.
Related to asperse: slanderous, denigrated

as·perse

 (ə-spûrs′)
tr.v. as·persed, as·pers·ing, as·pers·es
1.
a. To spread false or damaging accusations or insinuations against (someone).
b. To slander or libel; defame.
2. To sprinkle, especially with holy water.

[Middle English, to besprinkle, from Latin aspergere, aspers- : ad-, ad- + spargere, to strew.]

as·per′sive (-sĭv, -zĭv) adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

asperse

(əˈspɜːs)
vb (tr)
1. to spread false rumours about; defame
2. (Ecclesiastical Terms) rare to sprinkle, as with water in baptism
[C15: from Latin aspersus, from aspergere to sprinkle]
asˈperser n
asˈpersive adj
asˈpersively adv
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

as•perse

(əˈspɜrs)

v.t. -persed, -pers•ing.
1. to attack with false and damaging charges or insinuations; slander; malign.
2. to sprinkle; bespatter.
[1480–90; < Latin aspersus, past participle of aspergere to sprinkle, asperse <a- a-5 + spargere to scatter]
as•per′sive, adj.
as•per′sive•ly, adv.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

asperse


Past participle: aspersed
Gerund: aspersing

Imperative
asperse
asperse
Present
I asperse
you asperse
he/she/it asperses
we asperse
you asperse
they asperse
Preterite
I aspersed
you aspersed
he/she/it aspersed
we aspersed
you aspersed
they aspersed
Present Continuous
I am aspersing
you are aspersing
he/she/it is aspersing
we are aspersing
you are aspersing
they are aspersing
Present Perfect
I have aspersed
you have aspersed
he/she/it has aspersed
we have aspersed
you have aspersed
they have aspersed
Past Continuous
I was aspersing
you were aspersing
he/she/it was aspersing
we were aspersing
you were aspersing
they were aspersing
Past Perfect
I had aspersed
you had aspersed
he/she/it had aspersed
we had aspersed
you had aspersed
they had aspersed
Future
I will asperse
you will asperse
he/she/it will asperse
we will asperse
you will asperse
they will asperse
Future Perfect
I will have aspersed
you will have aspersed
he/she/it will have aspersed
we will have aspersed
you will have aspersed
they will have aspersed
Future Continuous
I will be aspersing
you will be aspersing
he/she/it will be aspersing
we will be aspersing
you will be aspersing
they will be aspersing
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been aspersing
you have been aspersing
he/she/it has been aspersing
we have been aspersing
you have been aspersing
they have been aspersing
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been aspersing
you will have been aspersing
he/she/it will have been aspersing
we will have been aspersing
you will have been aspersing
they will have been aspersing
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been aspersing
you had been aspersing
he/she/it had been aspersing
we had been aspersing
you had been aspersing
they had been aspersing
Conditional
I would asperse
you would asperse
he/she/it would asperse
we would asperse
you would asperse
they would asperse
Past Conditional
I would have aspersed
you would have aspersed
he/she/it would have aspersed
we would have aspersed
you would have aspersed
they would have aspersed
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Verb1.asperse - charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone; "The journalists have defamed me!" "The article in the paper sullied my reputation"
accuse, charge - blame for, make a claim of wrongdoing or misbehavior against; "he charged the director with indifference"
assassinate - destroy or damage seriously, as of someone's reputation; "He assassinated his enemy's character"
libel - print slanderous statements against; "The newspaper was accused of libeling him"
badmouth, drag through the mud, malign, traduce - speak unfavorably about; "She badmouths her husband everywhere"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

asperse

verb
To make defamatory statements about:
Law: libel.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
References in classic literature ?
'In the very hour of his return almost--before the shoe upon his foot is dry--he asperses his father's memory to his mother!
For hee who tempts, though in vain, at least asperses The tempted with dishonour foul, suppos'd Not incorruptible of Faith, not prooff Against temptation: thou thy self with scorne And anger wouldst resent the offer'd wrong, Though ineffectual found: misdeem not then, If such affront I labour to avert From thee alone, which on us both at once The Enemie, though bold, will hardly dare, Or daring, first on mee th' assault shall light.
Crossing all the ethical and moral boundaries, the attempts to asperse, inculpate and defame the rivals are the tactics being use to soar the mercury of the political atmosphere.
Couched in terms of national security and lawfulness, the comments made by Trump associate Mexicans with crime and violence; as he switches linguistic codes, the foreign language (hombres) is used to vilify the 'other' and asperse moral condemnation on people of Mexican heritage.
Roe (2006), in a convincing manner, criticizes such studies, which asperse the image of civil law tradition.
HJP lists 'blacken, paint black' as the verb's first mean ing, and 'slander, calumniate; denigrate, asperse, vilify' as the second.
469(c)(7) exception to the treatment of rental real estate activities asperse passive activities.