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
Sheikh Hasina’s place in that history has been tarnished, probably irrevocably.
—
Simon Montlake, Christian Science Monitor, 16 May 2025
That image, and Hawley’s subsequent refusal to certify the results of the Electoral College, would permanently tarnish his reputation, many observers thought at the time.
—Eyal Press, New Yorker, 30 May 2025
Hopefully, Doomsday improves on Thor’s legacy, which was tarnished by the largely disliked Thor: Love and Thunder.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025
Brett has been under constant attack from the mainstream media and also now today, Netflix… Tonight, a new documentary premiers tonight on Netflix attempting to tarnish his name.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tarnish
Simon Montlake, Christian Science Monitor, 16 May 2025
That image, and Hawley’s subsequent refusal to certify the results of the Electoral College, would permanently tarnish his reputation, many observers thought at the time.
—Eyal Press, New Yorker, 30 May 2025
Hopefully, Doomsday improves on Thor’s legacy, which was tarnished by the largely disliked Thor: Love and Thunder.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025
Brett has been under constant attack from the mainstream media and also now today, Netflix… Tonight, a new documentary premiers tonight on Netflix attempting to tarnish his name.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tarnish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tarnish
Verb
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It’s been 17 years since tainted blood thinner from China injured or killed hundreds of people in the United States, and since then, contaminants and other defects have appeared in a cross section of America’s generic drugs.—
Brandon Roberts,
ProPublica,
17 June 2025
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The woman was unavailable for an interview with USA TODAY because she was hospitalized. Untreated, Amy said the mental health condition’s fantastical conspiracies tainted her mom's decisions.—
Jayme Fraser,
USA Today,
16 June 2025
Verb
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They were marred by injuries throughout the season, having entered the season with somewhat high expectations.—
Ricardo Klein,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 June 2025
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Sunday night’s game was marred by an injury sustained by the Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton, who early in the first quarter went down with what would prove to be a torn Achilles tendon.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
23 June 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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As both business owner and head baker — her black chef’s coat is usually powdered with flour, her hands stained with icing — Vee won’t have time this June to participate in the Chicago Pride Parade.—
Sophie Levenson,
Chicago Tribune,
17 June 2025
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The team that would replace us would be stained, football would be stained.—
Felipe Cardenas,
New York Times,
17 June 2025
Verb
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Still, no amount of artistic success could heal the rift that had poisoned the group.—
Ernesto Lechner,
Rolling Stone,
21 June 2025
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The press, like the government and the judiciary, is part of a system that’s poisoned from within.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2025
Verb
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Among the key agenda this year was also Trump’s tariff policy that has darkened the outlook for global economic growth.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
17 June 2025
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As for why our oceans are darkening, the causes likely differ by region.—
Jay Kakade
June 14,
New Atlas,
14 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tarnish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tarnish. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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