tarnish

verb

ˈtär-nish How to pronounce tarnish (audio)
Definition of tarnishnext
as in to taint
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

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of tarnish Democratic leaders fear that the outlier opinions favoring police defunding may again tarnish the party's brand and sink its chances of gaining ground in Congress, governor's mansions and statehouses nationwide. — ABC News, 31 July 2026 Democratic leaders fear that the outlier opinions favoring police defunding may again tarnish the party’s brand and sink its chances of gaining ground in Congress, governor’s mansions and statehouses nationwide. — Matt Brown, Fortune, 31 July 2026 The Michigan brand is built out of titanium, but even titanium can tarnish. — Austin Meek, New York Times, 31 July 2026 Williams, who had filed counterclaims against Baumgarten for allegedly making false and defamatory statements about her and tarnishing her reputation, also voluntarily dismissed her suit at the same time. — Catherine Muccigrosso july 24, Charlotte Observer, 24 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for tarnish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tarnish
  1. taint
  2. mar
  3. spoil
  4. stain
  5. poison
  6. darken
Verb
  • But Reese and her Dream teammates tainted the historic night during the final 20 seconds.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026
  • In July, the US was hit with a wave of explosive diarrhea caused by an outbreak of cyclospora, a parasite that spreads through food and water tainted with human feces.
    — Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of taint
Verb
  • The election outcome has been marred by reports of the arrest of Mundubile and his running mate, Makebu Zulu.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026
  • However, the approach is marred by low throughput, and the process is also quite complex to execute.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of mar
Verb
  • This happens when the fruit is left on the ground too long and begins to spoil.
    — SJ McShane, Martha Stewart, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Food spoiled during the outage, and the family temporarily relocated to Lucky’s mother’s home.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of spoil
Verb
  • The Lincoln, the length of its hull stained by rust from the extended time at sea, pulled into the port of Laem Chabang, not far from the city of Pattaya, a prime destination for US military rest-and-relaxation visits since the Vietnam War.
    — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The white cocoons are torn through and stained with yellow-brown secretions.
    — Jonathan Flint, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of stain
Verb
  • Veterinarians determined that the snake's venom poisoned Samba, prompting them to give her antivenin.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Glutathione is processed in sterile compounding pharmacies, and there have been cases of people getting poisoned due to contamination at these facilities, Sack said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of poison
Verb
  • Saturn is evident for much of the night, appearing low in the eastern sky as the sky darkens and reaching its highest point in the southern sky soon after midnight.
    — Joe Rao, Space.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • During a partial lunar eclipse that peaked just after midnight on Friday, Earth’s shadow darkened parts of the moon’s visible surface.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of darken

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tarnish
tarnished
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Cite this Entry

“Tarnish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tarnish. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on tarnish

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