BESMIRCHED Synonyms: 145 Similar and Opposite Words

besmirched 1 of 2

adjective

as in stained

not clean wiped the toddler's besmirched face with a damp cloth

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

besmirched

2 of 2

verb

past tense of besmirch

as in blackened

to make dirty inconsiderately besmirched the carpet with their dirty feet

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of besmirched

Verb

Our nation’s capital is besmirched, on his say-so, with signs and banners bearing his likeness and name. — Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026 Bryna Laub, editor of Daytime Serial Newsletter, felt the show besmirched the sanctity of soaps and contributed to the broader currents of shame surrounding the genre. — Literary Hub, 18 May 2026 And thus one of the more wholesome and fun events in the White House calendar was besmirched by a man who simply cannot stop with the zero-sum partisan nonsense even when surrounded by impressionable young faces. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026 Trump has focused on tourist-friendly areas being besmirched by crime. — Niall Stanage, The Hill, 11 Aug. 2025 These hardy souls, largely indifferent to political and economic turbulence, were the mainstay of the tourist economy during the civil war that besmirched the lives of an entire generation from the 1980s on. — Chandrahas Choudhury, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Mar. 2024

Recent Examples of Synonyms for besmirched

Adjective

Set your iron to its lowest setting—no steam—and place the stained area between two paper towels or lint-free cloths.

— Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 26 Sep. 2026
Pushing those briars aside revealed a single splinter of stained glass, bright as a ruby and warm as blood.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of stained

Verb

On Tuesday, a silver cross on a long chain hung from the pine tree’s bark, which was peeling and blackened from the blaze.

— Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
The blaze blackened about 25 acres near the Getty Center before firefighters got the upper hand on it.

— Tom Tapp, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of blackened

Adjective

Raman has promised to speed up housing construction, bring back entertainment industry jobs and improve services in a city known for filthy streets, gridlock and an unresponsive City Hall.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026
Jurors heard testimony from three of Alsheikh’s victims who said they were packed into small, filthy, cold, wet cells that were infested with insects and other vermin.

— Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of filthy

Verb

When stormwater dirtied by road runoff, failing septic tanks and fertilizer sullied crystal-clear rivers and lakes, and nobody cared.

— Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2026
Garments can be dirtied again by the elements if air-dried outside.

— Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Dec. 2025

Definition of dirtied

Adjective

The soft, muddy earth created the conditions needed for the dinosaur tracks to be buried, brought back to the surface and exposed by erosion.

— Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2026
As a result, the Great Lawn had to be shut down two months ealier for repairs and resodding after tens of thousands of concertgoers stomped it into a muddy mess.

— Lincoln Anderson, New York Daily News, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of muddy

Verb

Shortly after Palace’s next match had finished, a defeat by Everton on the opening weekend of the new season, his reputation among the supporters had been sullied again.

— Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Such shenanigans are more or less expected, and certainly haven’t forever sullied the American soccer fan base, at least here at home.

— Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 7 July 2026

Definition of sullied

Adjective

This East of Eden is a gorgeous production, deliberately stark and vast and dusty rather than lushly floral like the 1955 film.

— Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
In one, a dark-haired man played the Camille Saint-Saëns song on a dusty violin while a ballerina in a fanlike feathery skirt danced the part of the swan.

— Tom Drury, Harpers Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of dusty

Adjective

At almost any hour, someone is settling in for a caffeine fix, a glass of wine, or one more dirty martini.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Sep. 2026
Muddy kids’ clothes, workwear or especially dirty towels can benefit from the extra thermal energy that helps detergent loosen and lift ground-in soil.

— Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of dirty

Browse Nearby Words

besmirch

besmirched

besmirches

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Besmirched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besmirched. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of besmirched

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

tittle

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes