slur 1 of 2

noun

ˈslər How to pronounce slur (audio)
Definition of slurnext
1
as in insult
an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings a rowdy group of patrons was kicked out of the theater for shouting slurs

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stain
a mark of guilt or disgrace your drunken behavior at the wedding has cast a slur on this family

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

slur

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to troll

Related Words
2
as in to insult

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of slur
Noun
The songs glorify Russian soldiers and dehumanize Ukrainians, sometimes with ethnic slurs. — Steven Lee Myers, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026 The harassment included students showing him a video with racial slurs and reenacting the video in front of him. — Katie Langford, Denver Post, 1 Oct. 2026
Verb
While being interviewed by the Minnesota State Police, Dokken was allegedly slurring her speech, but did not test positive for alcohol. — Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 4 June 2026 Ali’s long time ring doctor, Ferdie Pacheco, had noticed that his reflexes were slowing and his speech was becoming slurred — going as far as to urge him to quit boxing. — Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for slur
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slur
  1. insult
  2. stain
  3. troll
  4. affront
  5. sarcasm
  6. taint
  7. sharp
  8. blaspheme
Noun
  • Try to remember that your teen’s eyes were focused squarely on the $100 prize and so this is an issue of overlooking rather than one of insult.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Yet in a land where machismo still reigns, it’s considered a rather severe insult.
    — Jeanne Bonner, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of insult
Noun
  • But whiffing like that gave his credibility a permanent stain.
    — Matt Calkins OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Covers shield upholstery from coffee spills, food stains, pet accidents and everyday messes.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of stain
Verb
  • Ukrainian defense company Fire Point trolled Yandex on X in response to a statement from the tech giant’s head of fintech division, Dima Pirogov.
    — Zahra Ullah, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
  • And just two months ago, San Francisco Giants executive Buster Posey trolled radio station KNBR on-air after a behind-the-scenes employee was caught on a hot mic talking trash about him.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of troll
Verb
  • Iraq similarly felt scandalized that its sovereignty had been so blatantly affronted and disregarded.
    — Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • But the pop culture of twelve years ago is baffling, uncanny, affronting.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026
Definition of affront
Noun
  • There’s a hint of sarcasm in that statement, but also a dose of reality.
    — Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Returning the sarcasm tends to cause the same problem, with two people annoyed instead of one.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of sarcasm
Noun
  • Even though Thiam denied knowledge of it and was cleared of involvement, the taint of the scandal led to his ouster.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Aug. 2026
  • On top of worrying about making great wine, European producers will now have to mitigate against smoke taint, save their grapes from frost, and consider how to future-proof vineyards in a rapidly changing climate.
    — Kate Dingwall, Bon Appetit Magazine, 31 July 2026
Definition of taint
Verb
  • In the fall, the workers trade in their pruning shears for knives sharp enough to skin a deer in minutes.
    — Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 28 Nov. 2025
  • Today there’s a rich universe of supplemental Pynchon material ranging from prose only an English PhD could unpack, to sharp analysis that makes the experience of reading Pynchon communal and fun.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
Definition of sharp
Verb
  • Rushdie has spent almost 40 years under threat of death from Islamic extremists after the Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against him, claiming Rushdie’s novel The Satanic Verses blasphemed Islam and mocked the Prophet Muhammad.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 14 July 2026
  • For his followers, blaspheming the Holocaust and celebrating Hitler became a way to signal contempt for the political religion of postwar liberalism.
    — Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
Definition of blaspheme

Phrases Containing slur

Browse Nearby Words

slunk
slur
slur (over)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Slur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slur. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of vocation

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All