Synonyms
Examples of tarnish in a Sentence
Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 25 Sep. 2023
Their World Cup victory is not tarnished — that would be the wrong word — but their memories of it will be, their glory always carrying with it an undercurrent of anguish.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2023
Sessions pointed to the two impeachments of Donald Trump, accusing Democrats led by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi of shooting first and aiming later in their zeal to tarnish him.
—Joseph Morton, Dallas News, 14 Sep. 2023
Advertisement Soccer Commentary: Bruce Arena’s ugly exit from MLS shouldn’t tarnish his immense legacy
Sept. 10, 2023
FC Dallas took a gamble anyway, using a second-round pick on Hollingshead.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2023
Some of the luster surrounding this matchup has been tarnished by the injury to New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
OK, more than some.
—David Moore, Dallas News, 15 Sep. 2023
For Woodward, the secret to an effective brand strategy lies in deftly walking the tightrope - harnessing the boundless power of social media while steering clear of the potential pitfalls that could tarnish the brand's reputation.
—Maria Williams, USA TODAY, 19 Aug. 2023
Feinstein now risks tarnishing her impressive legacy by refusing to walk away.
—Tori Otten, The New Republic, 28 July 2023
Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has tarnished Russia’s reputation in Europe and the United States, raising doubts about his regime’s competence.
—Michael Kimmage and Hanna Notte, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2023
Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 4 Sep. 2023
Try baking soda: For heavier tarnish, mix three parts baking soda to one part water.
—Lauren Smith McDonough and Carolyn Forte, Good Housekeeping, 20 Jan. 2021
While Randazzo and former FirstEnergy executives have not been charged with any crimes to date, the lawmakers most likely to carry the tarnish from Householder’s dirty dealing aren’t actually that beholden to Ohio voters.
—Sarah Stankorb, The New Republic, 29 June 2023
Thanks to the adjustable double straps, the top is easy to loosen or tighten depending on your preferences and the swimsuit is adorned with gold hardware that doesn’t dig into the skin or tarnish quickly.
—Anna Popp, Travel + Leisure, 25 May 2023
Appearing as yellowy-brown and sometimes even black marks, tarnish is much easier to deal with than rust.
—Kate McGregor, House Beautiful, 14 Apr. 2023
The tarnish still sticks to Cadillac.
—Eric Tingwall, Car and Driver, 1 July 2020
Previous coverage:Could a dog toy tarnish Jack Daniel's image?
—Alexandra Hardle, The Arizona Republic, 24 Mar. 2023
Baking soda: For heavier tarnish, mix three parts baking soda to one part water.
—Lauren Smith McDonough, Good Housekeeping, 28 Feb. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tarnish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Verb
Middle English ternysshen, from Middle French terniss-, stem of ternir, probably of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German tarnan to hide
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Noun
1684, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing tarnish
Dictionary Entries Near tarnish
Cite this Entry
“Tarnish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tarnish. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.
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Kids Definition
tarnish
1 of 2 verb
tarnish
2 of 2 noun
More from Merriam-Webster on tarnish
Nglish: Translation of tarnish for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of tarnish for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tarnish
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