as in to taint
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
a false accusation that nonetheless tarnished her reputation
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Recent Examples of tarnish
Peaks and valleys are part of any small business’s journey, but missing just one of those monthly bills can tarnish your credit for years.
—
Eyal Lifshitz, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
Seasons were spoiled, and careers were tarnished all because Martin couldn’t be honest with himself, his family members, and the world, until now.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 17 Feb. 2025
The fallout of that moment tarnished Smith’s reputation and led to him being banned from the Oscars for 10 years.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Mar. 2025
But last year, Sonos tarnished its reputation by rushing an app update to coincide with its first wireless headphones, the Sonos Ace.
—Ars Technica, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tarnish
Eyal Lifshitz, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
Seasons were spoiled, and careers were tarnished all because Martin couldn’t be honest with himself, his family members, and the world, until now.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 17 Feb. 2025
The fallout of that moment tarnished Smith’s reputation and led to him being banned from the Oscars for 10 years.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Mar. 2025
But last year, Sonos tarnished its reputation by rushing an app update to coincide with its first wireless headphones, the Sonos Ace.
—Ars Technica, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tarnish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tarnish
Verb
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In its letter, the committee said that Albanese’s rhetoric tainted both the U.N. as an institution and her own position.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
5 Apr. 2025
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Cena's victory, following Mysterio's earlier match, tainted Mysterio's win and shifted focus to Cena's confrontation with the returning CM Punk, overshadowing Mysterio's moment.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The transition has been marred by ongoing disagreements, political tensions, infighting and what security experts describe as a lack of a cohesive strategy for fighting the gangs.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
24 Mar. 2025
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What Happened On March 8? The SAT, a cornerstone of college admissions, was marred by technical and administrative issues on test day.—
Scott White,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Dodge won't spoil the surprise by confirming if the last one will be based on the Charger or the Challenger (or maybe both), but the evidence suggests the latter is more likely.—
Jack Fitzgerald,
Car and Driver,
13 Feb. 2023
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Farmers’ broiler chickens suffocate, and dairy products spoil.—
Monica Mark,
The Christian Science Monitor,
10 Feb. 2023
Verb
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Its players are turncoats whose legacies are forever stained.—
Greg Cote,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2025
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Be careful and don’t use it every wash because these products can stain your hair with a pink or lavender tint.—
Jennifer Hussein,
Allure,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
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His story of being put on a Kremlin kill list after exposing the Kremlin plot to poison Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is told in Antidote, a documentary directed by James Jones that also premiered at CPH:DOX.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
27 Mar. 2025
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That’s the cult whose members famously took their own life drinking poisoned Kool-Aid.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
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And for the last 10 pages, Newport-Berra would darken the image to cheat the sun-setting and early evening.—
Chris O'Falt,
IndieWire,
28 Mar. 2025
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Yuki Iwamura | Bloomberg | Getty Images Taken from CNBC’s Daily Open, our international markets newsletter — Subscribe today The shadow of a U.S. recession is growing longer and darkening the outlook for both consumers and CFOs alike, according to various surveys tracking sentiment in March.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
26 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tarnish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tarnish. Accessed 10 Apr. 2025.
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