French word

souiller

Pronunciation

IPA/suje/

Meaning

  • verbdirty

Example

Ne souille pas ta chemise.

Don't dirty your shirt.

Illustration for souiller (dirty)

More examples

La fuite a souillé la nourriture stockée.

The leak soiled the stored food.

Core concept

A visible smear that can extend from a garment to a person's reputation.

Common phrases

  • souiller la nourriture

    soil the food

  • souiller sa chemise

    soil one's shirt

Similar words

salir: To put mud or dirt on clothing or an object.
tacher: To stain the surface of fabric, paper, or a similar material.

Definition in French

Causer une salissure matérielle ou symbolique sur une surface, un vêtement, une personne ou une réputation.

Word origin

Souiller is an inherited French verb from Old French soillier and ultimately Latin suillare, whose meaning was to soil or make dirty.

Usage tips

  • Souiller can take an abstract object such as réputation or honneur, but its serious tone makes it less usual than salir or tacher for a simple mark on clothing.

Opposites

Related words

  • souillésoiledadjective
  • souilluredirtnoun

Word lists with this word