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
The Florida case centers on Nicklaus’ claims that Milstein used the New York litigation and media outreach to tarnish his reputation.
—
Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 23 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
See All Example Sentences for tarnish
Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 23 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
See All Example Sentences for tarnish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tarnish
Verb
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One year ago, Martinsville was tainted by race manipulation on two counts.—
Jordan Bianchi,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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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
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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
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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
Verb
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For the party’s new leadership, running Libertarian candidates and providing an outlet for their voters’ political perspective isn’t spoiling.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
26 Oct. 2025
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The Pistons were whistled for 31 fouls, resulting in 48 Houston free-throw attempts, and still found a way to spoil the Rockets’ home opener.—
Hunter Patterson,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Drone footage shows eight officers approach a motionless Green who appeared slumped over with a large pool of blood staining the driveway.—
Perry Vandell,
AZCentral.com,
25 Oct. 2025
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Foods like coffee, red wine, fruit and vegetable juices, grease and oils, tea, tomato sauce, and spices like turmeric and curry can stain, as well as ink, markers, and some cleaning chemicals.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Leawood police fielded nearly 400 food-poisoning complaints and conducted about 130 interviews, a volume that briefly crashed the department’s records system, according to the Johnson County Post, KSHB 41 and KCTV5.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
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Chloe then baked a cake poisoned with oleander leaves killing the owner’s wife and some children.—
Noreen Kompanik,
Boston Herald,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Place wings, skin side down, on unlit side of grill; cover and grill, undisturbed, until darkened in color and cooked through, about 20 minutes.—
Sabrina Weiss,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
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Farther up, on Observatory Hill, tall cryptomeria trees were silhouetted in the darkening evening, and down in the valleys, lights winked on like reflections of the planets and stars appearing in the sky.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tarnish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tarnish. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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