blemish

1 of 2

verb

blem·​ish ˈble-mish 

blemished; blemishing; blemishes

transitive verb

: to spoil by a flaw

blemish

2 of 2

noun

: a noticeable imperfection

especially : one that seriously impairs appearance

Synonyms

Verb

• darken
• mar
• poison
• spoil
• stain
• taint
• tarnish
• touch
• vitiate

Noun

• blight
• blotch
• defect
• deformity
• disfigurement
• excrescence
• excrescency
• fault
• flaw
• imperfection
• mar
• mark
• pockmark
• scar

Examples of blemish in a Sentence

Verb

A series of burn marks blemish the table's surface.

The incident blemished his reputation.

Noun

The cream is supposed to prevent blemishes on the skin.

The table had a few scratches and minor blemishes.

The book fails to mention any of the organization's many blemishes.

The incident was a blemish on his record.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

That huge carbon footprint blemishes the reputations of global tech firms such as Google and Apple, which are pressuring suppliers to set high bars for their own environmental, social, and governance (ESG) programs. —IEEE Spectrum, 3 Sep. 2024

And, especially in recent decades, the spectacle has been blemished by budget overruns, long-term debts, wasteful infrastructure, displacement and gentrification, political strife and environmental harm. —Alicia Wallace, CNN, 26 July 2024

Noun

Meanwhile, Travis Scott put a ten-year-old mixtape on streaming and nearly toppled Sabrina Carpenter, and Ye and Ty Dolla $ign’s debut as ¥$ earned a No. 1 album and song (this despite the growing list of blemishes on Ye’s name). —Justin Curto, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2024

Defensively, the Raiders were 8 of 14 on third downs (57.1%), but that’s about the only blemish. —Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 18 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English blemisshen, to damage, injure, sully, from Anglo-French blemiss-, stem of blemir, blesmir, from Old French, literally, to make pale by wounding, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German blasros horse with a blaze, Old Norse blesi blaze — more at blaze

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1535, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

blemish

noun

blem·​ish

ˈblem-ish

: a mark that makes something imperfect

blemish verb

Medical Definition

blemish

noun

blem·​ish ˈblem-ish 

: a mark of physical deformity or injury: as

a

: any small mark on the skin (as a pimple or birthmark)

blemishes symptomatic of acne

b

: a defect of an animal (as a horse) that detracts from its appearance but does not interfere with its usefulness