Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
noun
An insult or slight, especially one that is muttered incoherently under one's breath.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
An insult or slight, especially one that is muttered incoherently under one's breath.
An extremely offensive and socially unacceptable term targeted at a group of people (such as an ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc.).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A mark of dishonour; a blight or stain.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
An act of running one's words together; poor verbal articulation.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Any instance of separate things gradually blending together, such as heartbeats in some medical disorders.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A set of notes that are played legato, without separate articulation.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
The symbol indicating a legato passage, written as an arc over the slurred notes (not to be confused with a tie).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To insult or slight.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: abuse, dis, misuse, affront, burn, carry, cut down, disrespect, diss, give stick, heckle, hurt someone's feelings, insult, lapidate, qualifier, misbid, misrespect, offend, send, scandal, scandalize, slag, slag off, sledge, slight, slur, sneap, spite, wound
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To run together; to articulate poorly.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To play legato or without separate articulation; to connect (notes) smoothly.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To soil; to sully; to contaminate; to disgrace.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: debase, disparage, befoul, tarnish, abase, bring down to size, cut down to size, defame, degrade, demean, demote, depress, discredit, disgrace, dishonour, downgrade, embase, give a bad name, humble, humiliate, knock down to size, put someone in their place, reduce, relegate, sink, slur, trim down to size, whittle down to size, assoil, beclart, bedaub, bedirty, imbrue (especially with blood), bedizen, befile, befilth, begrime, beray, beshit, besmear, besmirch, besully, bewray, blacken, blot, blur, clat, contaminate, darken, defile, dirten, dirty, elt, file, foil, foul, gunk, gunk up, inquinate, scunge, sling mud, slotter, smear, smirch, smudge, smut, smutch, soil, soss, sowl, spot, stain, sullow, sully, uggle
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To cover over; to disguise; to conceal; to pass over lightly or with little notice.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: cloak, hide, mask, occult
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To cheat, as by sliding a die; to trick.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: bilk, cozen, dupe, abuse, beglammer, counterfeit, deceive, dissemble, dissimulate, feign, jiff, lead astray, overreach, put on, spoof, sham, trick
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To blur or double, as an impression from type; to mackle.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: dated
Topics: media, printing, publishing
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
a blemish made by dirt
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: smudge, spot, blot, daub, smear, smirch
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: blemish, defect, mar
Narrower terms: blotch, splodge, splotch, fingermark, fingerprint, inkblot
noun
a disparaging remark
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: aspersion
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: disparagement, depreciation, derogation
Narrower terms: ethnic slur
noun
(music) a curved line spanning notes that are to be played legato
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: musical notation
Narrower terms: tie
verb
become vague or indistinct
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: blur, dim
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: weaken
Narrower terms: obliterate, efface
verb
utter indistinctly
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: talk, speak, utter, mouth, verbalize, verbalise
verb
speak disparagingly of; e.g., make a racial slur
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: denote, refer
verb
play smoothly or legato
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: play, spiel
History
From Middle English sloor (“thin or fluid mud”). The ultimate origin is uncertain, but perhaps related to a group of words derived from Proto-Germanic *slūm- (“loose, slack, flabby”), such as slumber. Cognate with Middle Low German sluren (“to trail in mud”). Also related to dialectal Norwegian sløra (“to be careless, to scamp, dawdle”), Danish sløre (“to wobble, be loose”) (especially for wheels); compare Old Norse slóðra (“to drag oneself along”). * (an extremely offensive term): Influenced by various compounds of sense 1 such as racial slur, ethnic slur, etc.
Across languages
104 source translations are retained for this English entry.
