Smut

Smut primarily refers to sexually explicit or obscene material, often involving vulgar language or depictions of sexual acts. It can also describe a dark, offensive, or corrupting element, like a stain on someone's reputation or something that tarnishes a positive image. In agriculture and botany, 'smut' also denotes a parasitic fungal disease that affects grains and other plants, causing discolored, sooty masses of spores. The term carries negative connotations, reflecting a sense of impropriety, vulgarity, and potential for moral corruption, but when referred to in agriculture or botany the term has no connotation and simply refers to the fungal disease.

Smut meaning with examples

• The online forum became notorious for its smut, filled with graphic descriptions and explicit images that violated the platform's terms of service. This illicit content prompted complaints from users and led to the forum being shut down to remove its pervasive smut. Its constant presence was a factor that made many of its members feel uncomfortable.
• The politician's carefully constructed image was damaged by rumors of past indiscretions, which, though unproven, introduced an element of smut into public perception of their character. The whispers, exaggerations, and innuendo had an almost palpable smut that smeared their reputation.
• The farmer discovered a widespread infestation of smut on his wheat crop, with dark, powdery masses covering the grain heads. He researched methods for controlling the plant smut. The spread of this plant smut reduced yields and threatened his livelihood as it destroyed the crop.
• The author was criticized for including excessive smut in their novel, with critics claiming it served no purpose other than to shock and titillate the reader. The book was banned in several libraries because of the excessive smut and its detrimental effect on children.
• Despite the attempts to clean it up, a lingering sense of smut continued to pervade the office environment after the scandal, making some employees uneasy about the ethics of their coworkers. This was an unavoidable outcome of the scandal, as the smut of the situation had lingered longer than expected.