tarnish

verb tar·nish \ ˈtär-nish \

Definition of tarnish

transitive verb

1 :to dull or destroy the luster of by or as if by air, dust, or dirt :soil, stain

2 a :to detract from the good quality of :vitiate

his fine dreams now slightly tarnished

b :to bring disgrace on :sully

the scandal has tarnished his reputation

intransitive verb

:to become tarnished

—

tarnishable

play \-ni-shə-bəl\ adjective

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Examples of tarnish in a Sentence

Some foods will tarnish silver.
The scandal tarnished his reputation.

Recent Examples of tarnish from the Web

But Lindbergh’s isolationist and Nazi sympathies in the 1930s and ’40s tarnished his reputation.

— roger showley, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Rewriting local history: Charlottesville standoff echoed in San Diego battles," 20 Aug. 2017
Add Jim Simpson's story to America's heap of crippling student debt and tarnished hopes of a brighter future.

— bloomberg news, OregonLive.com, "Student debt trap snags unwary truck driver trainees," 14 Aug. 2017
Seeing Kelly become a hack in the service of a particularly divisive president would reflect poorly upon the military, tarnishing its prestige in the eyes of Trump’s many political opponents.

— elliot kaufman, National Review, "Against John Kelly as White House Chief of Staff," 1 Aug. 2017
Adrian Beltre on his kids joining him on the field after his 3,000th hit Beltre’s moment, of course, will never be tarnished.

— stefan stevenson rangers vs. mariners, star-telegram, "Adrian Beltre’s 3,000th hit just the beginning of a milestone run," 30 July 2017
A fraudulent election can tarnish a country’s reputation, threaten its stability, and deter investment and aid.

— The Economist, "Make monitors matter," 20 July 2017
Karras’s full-year suspension for gambling in 1963 may have tarnished his Hall of Fame chances.

— mark mravic, SI.com, "The MMQB All-Time Draft: Who Got Snubbed?," 19 July 2017
A certain tin man from Oz may have tarnished the legacy of silver makeup, but shimmery pigment is back with a vengeance.

— The Cut, "How to Master Shimmery Eyeshadow in Under 7 Minutes," 13 July 2017
Tarnished by the crash, the ruling party, Fianna Fáil, was ousted in the 2011 election, and Varadkar was named Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport in the government led by Fine Gael's Enda Kenny.

— jennifer duggan / dublin, Time, "A Portrait of the Prime Minister As a Young Man," 13 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tarnish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of tarnish

Middle English ternysshen, from Middle French terniss-, stem of ternir, probably of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German tarnan to hide

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First Known Use: 15th century

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tarnish Synonyms

Synonyms

blemish, darken, mar, poison, spoil, stain, taint, touch, vitiate

Related Words

begrime, besmear, besmirch, blacken, blur, cloud, dirty, discolor, pollute, smear, smirch, smudge, smut, soil, sully, tar; abase, cheapen, debase, degrade, demean, discredit, disgrace, dishonor, foul, lower, shame, sink; bastardize, corrupt, debauch, demoralize, deprave, pervert, subvert; color, distort, twist

Near Antonyms

cleanse, purify; dignify, elevate, ennoble, enshrine, glorify, hallow, magnify, uplift

tarnish

noun

Definition of tarnish

:something that tarnishes; especially :a film of chemically altered material on the surface of a metal (such as silver)

See tarnish defined for English-language learners

Examples of tarnish in a Sentence

a polish that removes tarnish

Recent Examples of tarnish from the Web

With this nifty trick, a chemical reaction causes tarnish to transfer from your silver flatware to the aluminum foil.

— lauren piro, Good Housekeeping, "11 Who-Knew Uses for Aluminum Foil," 28 July 2017
In the midst of all this, the pedigreed Falkeses try to resist the tarnish of the Wolinskis.

— caroline leavitt, New York Times, "Fathers and Sons — and Maybe Two More Sons," 23 June 2017

First Known Use of tarnish

1684

Other Metals and Metallurgy Terms

assay, bloom, bullion, ductile, ingot, malleable, patina, plate, temper, tensile

TARNISH Defined for English Language Learners

tarnish

verb

Definition of tarnish for English Language Learners

: to become or cause (metal) to become dull and not shiny
: to damage or ruin the good quality of (something, such as a person's reputation, image, etc.)