Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Showing results for dirty linen. Search instead for sitzbeinen.
Definitions

dirty linen

NOUN
gossip
Synonyms
STRONGEST
buzz chatter chitchat conversation hearsay news scandal slander tale
STRONG
account babble blather blether calumny chronicle clothesline cry defamation earful grapevine injury meddling prate prattle report scuttlebutt story talk wire
WEAK
back-fence talk dirty laundry dirty wash idle talk malicious talk small talk whispering campaign
Antonyms
STRONG
quiet silence
WEAK
fact
NOUN
scandal
Synonyms
STRONGEST
crime rumor wrongdoing
STRONG
aspersion calumny defamation depreciation detraction discredit disgrace dishonor disparagement disrepute dynamite gossip hearsay ignominy infamy mud obloquy opprobrium reproach scorcher shame sin slander tale talk turpitude
WEAK
backbiting backstabbing belittlement eavesdropping idle rumor skeleton in closet
Antonyms
STRONGEST
good deed
STRONG
approval commendation compliment esteem exaltation flattery goodness honor morality praise respect
NOUN
slander
Synonyms
STRONGEST
defamation disparagement libel misrepresentation smear
STRONG
aspersion backbiting calumny depreciation detraction dirt hit lie muckraking mud obloquy rap scandal slam slime tale
WEAK
backstabbing belittlement black eye mud-slinging
Antonyms
STRONGEST
approval commendation compliment praise
STRONG
flattery
WEAK
glorification nicety
NOUN
talebearing
Synonyms
WEAK
account babble back-fence talk blather blether buzz calumny chatter chitchat chronicle clothesline conversation cry defamation dirty laundry dirty wash earful gossipry grapevine hearsay idle talk injury malicious talk meddling news prate prattle report rumor scandal scuttlebutt slander small talk story tale talk tattle tittle-tattle whispering campaign wire word

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The probate process is public, the legal equivalent of washing your dirty linen in the front yard.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 3, 2025

The Duke of Sussex has said his "conscience is clear" following his revealing memoir Spare, and that he did not air his "dirty linen in public."

From BBC • Sep. 15, 2025

"It is still very much a work in progress. An awful lot has been said between the two. So much dirty linen has been put out in the public, so to speak."

From Fox News • Jul. 2, 2021

Don’t wash your dirty linen in a watched pot.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 2, 2019

As soon as I was decent, she led me past the dirty linen and out into the baking sun.

From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron