“The bed's heart is a wet wound, a pulsing broken sore, with the hint of whiteness under folds of black and ruddy blood oozing to besmirch the sheets.”

Verb

▲

Past tense for to bring disrepute to, especially through aspersions

sullied

stigmatised^UK

stigmatized^US

dishonoured^UK

libelled^UK

libeled^US

lowered

scandalised^UK

scandalized^US

smirched

spoiled^US

spoilt^UK

dishonored^US

dragged through the mire

dragged through the mud

reflected badly on

bad-mouthed

brought into disrepute

done a hatchet job on

blackened the name of

blackened the character of

criticized^US

run a smear campaign against

blackened someone's name

dragged down

blackened the reputation of

dragged someone's name through the mud

criticised^UK

bastardized^US

bastardised^UK

muddied the reputation of

sullied the reputation of

harmed the reputation of

dragged name through mud

given a bad name to

cast aspersion

gave a bad name to

damaged the reputation of

marked wrong

brought dishonour to

cut down to size

put someone in their place

spoke badly of

spoken badly of

ran a smear campaign against

shown in a bad light

showed in a bad light

minimized^US

brutalized^US

demoralized^US

brutalised^UK

demoralised^UK

minimised^UK

vandalized^US

demonized^US

demonised^UK

vulgarized^US

vandalised^UK

vulgarised^UK

lowered the status of

brought into disfavour

blotted your copybook

written false reports about

made lose face

made someone eat crow

wrote false reports about

ripped up

caused detriment to

caused to lose face

conducted a smear campaign against

criticized unfairly

mucked up

handled roughly

spoke of with disfavour

spoken of with disfavour

taken down a peg or two

took down a peg or two

trivialized^US

pummelled^UK

trivialised^UK

belabored^US

belaboured^UK

pummeled^US

made someone eat humble pie

called down

ripped into

beat up on

put out of countenance

made someone feel ashamed

looked down on

spurned

shot full of holes

cudgeled^US

hauled over the coals

tied into

struck

shellacked

gave someone a dressing-down

sailed into

reamed out

smothered

given someone a dressing-down

called over the coals

settled someone's hash

cudgelled^UK

took the wind out of your sails

taken the wind out of your sails

more ❯

“I regard the continued campaign by some in the media to denigrate and besmirch the reputation of the Navy as quite outrageous.”

Verb

▲

Past tense for to criticize severely and reject as worthless

criticised^UK

criticized^US

pummelled^UK

pummeled^US

passed strictures upon

belabored^US

belaboured^UK

stigmatized^US

ostracised^UK

hauled over the coals

ostracized^US

stigmatised^UK

given something a bad press

gave something a bad press

rapped over the knuckles

gave someone a roasting

given someone a roasting

gave someone a dressing-down

given someone a dressing-down

gave someone a rollicking

given someone a rollicking

minimized^US

put someone on the hot seat

put on the mat

let fly at

put someone on the griddle

minimised^UK

given someone a bollocking

gave someone a bollocking

given someone a bad press

gave someone a bad press

called over the coals

nagged

sent someone away with a flea in their ear

detested

despised

abhorred

libeled^US

libelled^UK

given someone a telling-off

gave someone a telling-off

depreciated

given someone an earful

gave someone a mouthful

gave someone an earful

given someone a mouthful

done a hatchet job on

gave someone a rating

jumped down one's throat

given someone a row

gave someone a wigging

pinned your ears back

slapped down

given someone a rating

given someone a wigging

gave someone what for

given someone what for

slapped someone's wrist

backbitten

backbit

slang

given something a battering

gave something a battering

loathed

hated

raged

given someone a caning

blew up

given someone some stick

gone for the jugular

went for the jugular

gave someone a caning

gave someone some stick

caviled^US

cavilled^UK

regarded with disgust

cudgeled^US

cudgelled^UK

burned someone's ears

kicked up a fuss about

held up to shame

snapped someone's head off

kicked up a stink about

dragged over the coals

rapped someone the knuckles

jumped down someone's throat

gave a tongue-lashing

given a tongue-lashing

bit someone's head off

bitten someone's head off

gave someone a telling off

given someone a dressing down

given someone a telling off

tore someone a new one

gave someone a dressing down

torn someone a new one

given someone a carpeting

took to the woodshed

gave someone a carpeting

taken to the woodshed

more ❯

Verb

▲

Past tense for to mark out as having a particular (typically negative) quality

branded

stigmatised^UK

stigmatized^US

characterised^UK

characterized^US

denounced

labelled^UK

labeled^US

discredited

categorised^UK

categorized^US

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besmirched
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