Maculate

//ˈmækjʊleɪt// adj, verb

adj, verb ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To spot; to stain; to blur.

    "they wolde nat maculate the honour of their people with suche a reproche"

  2. 2
    spot, stain, or pollute wordnet
  3. 3
    past participle of maculate form-of, obsolete, participle, past

    "That the honour of verteous gentil men, be nocht maculat vitht the vice ande inciuilite of vicius pretendit gentil men."

  4. 4
    make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically wordnet
Adjective
  1. 1
    Marked with spots or maculae; blotched. archaic, poetic
  2. 2
    Defiled, impure. archaic, poetic

    "[Les Misérables is] about the struggle of a mistreated man as he rises to the top, along with a mortal conflict between this maculate virtuous man and an immaculate pursuing demon."

Adjective
  1. 1
    spotted or blotched wordnet
  2. 2
    morally blemished; stained or impure wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
defiledvariegatebandbarbefoulbesmirched

Example

More examples

"they wolde nat maculate the honour of their people with suche a reproche"

Etymology

First attested during the last quarter of the 15th century, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English maculaten (“to spoil, polute”), borrowed from Latin maculātus, perfect passive participle of maculō (“to spot”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix).

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.