Besmirch vs. Denigrate

Besmirchverb

To make dirty; to soil.

Denigrateverb

(transitive) To criticise so as to besmirch; traduce, disparage or defame.

Besmirchverb

(transitive) To tarnish something, especially someone's reputation; to debase.

‘The newspaper was on a campaign to besmirch the actor.’;

Denigrateverb

(transitive) To treat as worthless; belittle, degrade or disparage.

‘You have no right to denigrate people and things that you have no personal experience with.’;

Besmirchverb

To smirch or soil; to discolor; to obscure. Hence: To dishonor; to sully.

Denigrateverb

(rare) To blacken.

Besmirchverb

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’;

Denigrateverb

To blacken thoroughly; to make very black.

Besmirchverb

smear so as to make dirty or stained

Denigrateverb

Fig.: To blacken or sully; to defame.

‘To denigrate the memory of Voltaire.’;

Besmirchverb

damage (someone's reputation)

‘he had besmirched the good name of his family’;

Denigrateverb

belittle;

‘Don't belittle his influence’;

Besmirchverb

make (something) dirty or discoloured

‘the ground was besmirched with blood’;

Denigrateverb

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’;