as in damaged
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1
as in marred
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
a single indiscretion blemished the rabbi's reputation for years
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in injured
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
a scratch blemished the finish on the car
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of blemished
Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Its blemished surface hints at its violent origin deep within the Earth's mantle.
—Arkansas State Parks, Arkansas Online, 19 Aug. 2025
That’s because pantries like Friendly Hands often receive offers from truck drivers to unload pallets of food, like blemished fruit rejected from grocery stores, but without a loading dock, pantries sometimes have to refuse or are unable to store the items.
—Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 6 Aug. 2025
Until the world contains only liberal democracies, Washington can hardly avoid seeking blemished friends.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
Throop returned to his hometown in 1990 to take stock of its blemished environment.
—Steve Marble, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2022
More to the point, where does Ohio State belong when ranking an increasing list of blemished records?
—Nathan Baird, cleveland, 10 Oct. 2021
Ensuring that doesn't happen will require finding better ways to clean up blemished images — and that takes time and money.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN, 2 July 2020
But perhaps the bigger question is how someone with such a blemished resume got the job in the first place.
—Ramona Giwargis, The Mercury News, 5 May 2017
Pj Green
october 20, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2025
Reputational damage occurs when a business’s name is blemished in some manner.
—Emily Reynolds, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Scarred and blemished grapefruits and blood oranges are falling off his trees, Schmidt told KSEE.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Its blemished surface hints at its violent origin deep within the Earth's mantle.
—Arkansas State Parks, Arkansas Online, 19 Aug. 2025
That’s because pantries like Friendly Hands often receive offers from truck drivers to unload pallets of food, like blemished fruit rejected from grocery stores, but without a loading dock, pantries sometimes have to refuse or are unable to store the items.
—Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 6 Aug. 2025
Until the world contains only liberal democracies, Washington can hardly avoid seeking blemished friends.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
Throop returned to his hometown in 1990 to take stock of its blemished environment.
—Steve Marble, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2022
More to the point, where does Ohio State belong when ranking an increasing list of blemished records?
—Nathan Baird, cleveland, 10 Oct. 2021
Ensuring that doesn't happen will require finding better ways to clean up blemished images — and that takes time and money.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN, 2 July 2020
But perhaps the bigger question is how someone with such a blemished resume got the job in the first place.
—Ramona Giwargis, The Mercury News, 5 May 2017
Verb
Shawnee’s local government, including the City Council, has been blemished by controversy for more than a decade.
—Pj Green
october 20, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2025
Reputational damage occurs when a business’s name is blemished in some manner.
—Emily Reynolds, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blemished
Adjective
-
Keep damaged plants moist and apply fertilizer as growth resumes.—
Tom MacCubbin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Tehran province, with more than 50 damaged sites, topped the list in terms of losses, Seyyed Ahmad Alavi said in a message on Telegram.—
Sean Nevin,
NBC news,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Their reunion tour — which was somehow not marred by any type of familial controversy — sold out stadiums around the world and overexcelled in every conceivable way, setting the template for what the future of band reunions could look like and solidifying their legacy.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The country remains marred by fighting in its east.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Hegseth cited some of those events in his video, including a shooting that injured five soldiers at Fort Stewart in Georgia last year.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Jude, a 12-year-old who gets injured in a firework accident, had been drinking with older kids while dealing with instability at home.—
Jonathan Hunt-Glassman,
Fortune,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Homecoming for Pope Jordan Pope scored 12 points in 33 minutes for Texas playing in his native Bay Area, coming back after suffering a broken foot late in a second-round win over Gonzaga.—
Janie McCauley,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Gertie’s broken tail was a desperate and heartbreaking sign of her relief and gratitude, the news release stated.—
News Release,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Institutional investors, such as German pension funds, saw the company as ethically tainted, and its stock price lagged far behind that of defense firms from other parts of Europe.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Ohio has seen fewer deaths but more risky behavior lately as fentanyl supplies dry up and people turn to substitutes tainted by animal tranquilizers.—
Kaitlin Coward,
Boston Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The prisoner releases come as Cuba experiences at least a partial reprieve from the energy crisis that has crippled the island.—
Joe Walsh,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Iranian missile attacks this month crippled a key industrial center in Qatar, which produces about one-third of the world’s helium.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Skenes was chased in the first inning earlier in the day by the Mets — as 76ers star Joel Embiid mocked the Pirates ' ace on social media — while Sánchez never pitched into a serious jam against Texas and spoiled manager Skip Schumaker's Texas debut.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
For years, lawyers have alleged that inmates receive expired, undercooked or contaminated food, including spoiled meat and deteriorated dairy products.—
Michael Rios,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Phillipe’s teeth were often as wine-stained as his customers’.—
Sammy Loren,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
-
His hands were stained navy blue.—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blemished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blemished. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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