noun
a term used in heraldry to describe a charge on a coat of arms that is positioned obliquely and signifies illegitimacy or dishonor
-
The family crest displayed a bar sinister, indicating a stain on their lineage.
-
I heard that old man's family has a bar sinister in their history.
-
That family has a shady past with a bar sinister on their coat of arms.
-
The scandal left a figurative bar sinister on their reputation.