as in marred
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
a false accusation that nonetheless tarnished her reputation
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in unpolished
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tarnished
Verb
-
Lennon's notoriously troubled upbringing was marred by paternal abandonment, frequent moves, and the sudden death of those closest to him, including his estranged mother Julia.—
Jordan Runtagh,
People.com,
8 Apr. 2025 -
The decision was not marred by procedural unfairness.—
Simon Perry,
People.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
In this space, a woman’s hand, long fingers with short, unpolished nails, appeared.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Aug. 2025
-
Apple’s genius was to edit those unpolished ideas into user-friendly products that could be manufactured at a low cost and sold at accessible prices.—
Dev Patnaik,
Forbes.com,
29 July 2025
Verb
-
Amazon objected to the 2022 warehouse election results, alleging the Amazon Labor Union and the federal labor board had tainted the vote.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
23 Dec. 2024
-
Some see all Russians and their cultural heritage as irredeemably tainted by imperial thinking, a view heavily influenced by post-colonial studies in American academia.—
Andrew Higgins,
New York Times,
22 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
That number includes children, who represent 16 percent of those poisoned and 27 percent of all fatalities.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Apr. 2025
-
And guess what, hospitals are seeing cases of vitamin A toxicity — of kids poisoned by being fed too many vitamins instead of being vaccinated.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
And if your pair looks a little dingy after putting them through the wringer on vacation, don’t stress—the Tree Runners can go right in the washing machine.—
Sara Coughlin,
SELF,
13 Aug. 2025
-
Even though modern machines and detergents have taken most of the workload out of the task, there are still some outdated laundry habits that may leave your clothes and linens looking dingy, smelling less than fresh, and feeling scratchy.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Under the dim backdoor light, Scotty works on a broken wicker chair, and gives her a don’t disturb-me-look.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Aug. 2025
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Englert and his team were able to detect this dim bridge by stacking 28 hours of observations taken over several years using the Dark Energy Camera at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Yet while anger over youth violence and other issues may have prompted the mayor not to run again in Gilbert, voters did not punish other incumbents for what many felt was a lackluster town response.—
Joanna Allhands,
AZCentral.com,
22 Aug. 2025
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Despite a lackluster rookie campaign, most drafters spent the offseason backing up Achane with second-year fourth-rounder Jaylen Wright out of Tennessee.—
John Laghezza,
New York Times,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The new crime comedy Caught Stealing unfolds in the year 1998, traveling across a distinctly grungy New York City—all dingy subway platforms and drab Chinatown apartments.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
29 Aug. 2025
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Picture the classic, drab freshman dorm room with a paper-thin plastic mattress and cinder block walls transformed into a true palace.—
Kayla Hayempour,
NBC news,
25 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Tarnished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tarnished. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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