BLEMISHING Synonyms: 150 Similar and Opposite Words

blemishing

verb

present participle of blemish

as in marring

to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable a single indiscretion blemished the rabbi's reputation for years

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in damaging

to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of a scratch blemished the finish on the car

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for blemishing

Verb

The Trib is withholding Nick’s full name to avoid marring his reputation in the eyes of future employers or others who might run a search on him.

— Kate Payne, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026
The latter track takes overt inspiration from Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film Marie Antoinette, as Jepsen beckons her love to engage in life’s vices with her, like marring bedsheets with fruit stains and dashing nude through the garden.

— Jaeden Pinder, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of marring

Verb

The 2025 decision came after the group claimed responsibility for breaking into a major air base, RAF Brize Norton, northwest of London, and damaging aircraft.

— Inaya Folarin Iman, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
In October 2025, Baja California’s prosecutor said a drone dropped homemade explosive devices at an anti-kidnapping prosecutor’s office in Tijuana, damaging four vehicles but causing no injuries.

— Armando Regil Velasco, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of damaging

Verb

Several homeowners near Meta’s massive Newton County data center have filed a lawsuit accusing the tech company and others of tainting their water and destroying their rural way of life.

— Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 1 Sep. 2026
For all intents and purposes, an unknown actor can wade unburdened into the depths of Bond, able to transform without a viewer’s prior expectation tainting the image of 007.

— Emily Maskell, IndieWire, 10 July 2026

Definition of tainting

Verb

Strus also will be out for a while after injuring his right foot during training camp.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
This is where Krasner and Pollock lived for nearly 11 years, until Pollock killed himself and one of his passengers, Edith Metzger, while driving drunk, injuring his girlfriend, Ruth Kligman, too.

— John Yau, ARTnews.com, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of injuring

Verb

In Season Two, the couple dealt with making the relationship work, which culminates in tensions between the pair — and without totally spoiling it, suffice to say that does not end so well.

— Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2026
The Dodgers left-hander had just given up the lead on Bauers’ two-run homer, spoiling what had been a stellar start Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.

— Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of spoiling

Verb

The flip side is that the state suffers crippling deficits when the market tanks, as during the Global Financial Crisis.

— Jason Ma, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026
In the days after the ceasefire broke down, the Houthis announced a blockade on Saudi shipping, and launched attacks crippling Saudi Arabia’s oil export infrastructure.

— Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of crippling

Verb

Tips To Keep Your Sink Clean Longer Rinse the sink after every use to get rid of food debris that can cause odors, get rid of soap scum, and reduce staining.

— Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 18 Oct. 2026
Hydrogen peroxide acts as a mild disinfectant that kills mold and bacteria and is very helpful for light staining.

— Asia London Palomba, The Spruce, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of staining

Verb

Separating system testing from intelligence testing can eliminate unnecessary consumption without compromising engineering rigor.

— Pritam Debnath, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
The challenge is to move advanced designs into reliable, repeatable production without compromising testing and operational safety.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of compromising

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.

Browse Nearby Words

blemishes

blemishing

blench

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Blemishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blemishing. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of blemishing

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

jilt

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes