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DictionaryslurInsulting remarks
noun / verb

slur

SLER/slˈɝ/

An insulting or damaging remark about a person or group.

The speaker's cruel slur hurts the woman who overhears it.

A cruel spoken aside about a nearby woman: a sneering speaker leans toward a companion's ear while indicating the woman, who overhears and recoils.
Etymology
slurMiddle Englishthin or fluid mud

Middle English slore meant thin mud. The insulting sense carries the image of smearing someone’s reputation with mud, though the word’s deeper origin is obscure.

In context

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maybe it was an employer who told you you're no good maybe it was a racial slur that made you self-conscious about your identity
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More examples

  • He refuses to repeat the ethnic slurs he hears.
  • Calling her dishonest is a slur on her reputation.
  • The article slurs her character without offering any evidence.

Forms

slur · slurs · slurred · slurring

Similar words

insult
A broader term for words or actions that offend.
smear
Usually a deliberate attempt to damage someone's public reputation.
slight
Often a subtle sign of disrespect rather than an attack.