cast aspersions

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Meaning · English

To criticize or doubt someone's character or actions

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Phản đối hoặc nghi ngờ nhân cách hoặc hành động của ai đó

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Literally: throw specks or spots
Where it’s used: Used Widespread English

Examples

The politician cast aspersions on her opponent's integrity

AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)

Sources & notes

Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.

Common questions

What does “cast aspersions” mean?

To criticize or doubt someone's character or actions Literally: throw specks or spots

Is “cast aspersions” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.