| noun | a blemish made by dirt “he had a smudge on his cheek” |
| noun | an act that brings discredit to the person who does it “he made a huge blot on his copybook” |
| verb | smear so as to make dirty or stained |
| verb | charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone “The journalists have defamed me!” |
| smudgy | adjective | smeared with something that soils or stains; these words are often used in combination; ; - Henry Roth |
| smudge | verb | make a smudge on; soil by smudging |
| spot | verb | become spotted |
| blot | verb | dry (ink) with blotting paper |
| smear | verb | make a smudge on; soil by smudging |
| smirch | verb | smear so as to make dirty or stained |
| stain | verb | make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically |
| smirch | noun | a blemish made by dirt |
| defamatory | adjective | (used of statements) harmful and often untrue; tending to discredit or malign |
| defamation | noun | a false accusation of an offense or a malicious misrepresentation of someone's words or actions |
| defamer | noun | one who attacks the reputation of another by slander or libel |
| slander | noun | an abusive attack on a person's character or good name |
| slanderer | noun | one who attacks the reputation of another by slander or libel |
| aspersion | noun | a disparaging remark |
| denigratory | adjective | (used of statements) harmful and often untrue; tending to discredit or malign |
| denigration | noun | an abusive attack on a person's character or good name |
| calumny | noun | a false accusation of an offense or a malicious misrepresentation of someone's words or actions |
| smear | noun | slanderous defamation |