black mark

noun

: something that makes something else less perfect or less appealing
His habitual tardiness was a black mark against him.

Examples of black mark in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Katrina has long been seen as a black mark on Bush’s presidency, one that hurt public confidence in his administration and hampered the effectiveness of his second term. Zac Anderson, USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2025 But in the eyes of the Trump team, Mr. Levi has a black mark against his name. Jonathan Swan, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025 Trump’s legacy will depend on his success in preventing another global catastrophe from putting a black mark on his second term. Leslie Vinjamuri, Foreign Affairs, 15 Nov. 2024 The decline in performance of the parks and the disenchantment from fans are a black mark on the resumé of Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Experiences. Caroline Reid, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024 The biggest black mark—one that’s almost impossible to ignore—is DEA’s dividend coverage. Brett Owens, Forbes, 29 Sep. 2024 Another black mark on Biden: His grandchildren don’t do playdates with tech mogul offspring! Steven Levy, WIRED, 19 July 2024 This is in part a reflection of its appeal to bad actors as a sort of currency-that’s-not-a-currency, but also a black mark on law enforcement and regulators, who allowed this to grow into a series of multi-billion-dollar scams basically unfettered until several burst. New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 25 May 2024 How will his proposal to put a black mark on the school record of children found to have misbehaved do anything other than bar them from access to higher education? The Week Uk, theweek, 5 May 2024

Dictionary Entries Near black mark

Cite this Entry

“Black mark.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/black%20mark. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.

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