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

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besmirched

2 of 2

verb

past tense of besmirch

as in blackened

to make dirty inconsiderately besmirched the carpet with their dirty feet

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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

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

Cover the stained area with the paste, and rub it in with a sponge.

— Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 19 July 2026
Victorian mansions that survived great storms and eras of change take up whole blocks, colossal buildings with stained glass windows and towering turrets.

— Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 15 July 2026

Definition of stained

Verb

It was blackened, charred, the conductor that had drawn the single precise punch of lightning.

— Brian Truitt, USA Today, 27 July 2026
Elephant Fire The Elephant Fire, burning since July 11 in the Tahoe National Forest, has blackened nearly 14,000 acres in Sierra, Plumas and Lassen counties, and is 92% contained.

— Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 21 July 2026

Definition of blackened

Adjective

Dozens of people had spent almost a year living outside, filthy and exhausted, and for what?

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026
From shabby apartments to art experiments to filthy needles—with echoes of Patti Smith and Rebecca Makkai—Adler conjures an era of sorrow borne by too many, too young.

— Hamilton Cain, Time, 7 July 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 crabs also burrow in the muddy seafloor to hide from predators and better withstand winter temperatures.

— Kasha Patel, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
For thrill-seekers, adventure tours, such as the Hall Crawl or Guts and Glory, offer hands-on spelunking experiences through muddy passages and challenging climbs.

— Korrin Bishop, Southern Living, 18 July 2026

Definition of muddy

Verb

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
Soap invited its viewers to take jabs at the genre in a time when the soap opera’s reputation had already been sullied in the American mind.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 May 2026

Definition of sullied

Adjective

Don’t make changes, and you’re accused of being a dusty, immovable relic that fights to maintain relevancy.

— Michael Schneider, Variety, 23 July 2026
The 21st-century Red Sox have won four World Series championships, and Galehouse is just a dusty chapter in Red Sox history.

— Steve Buckley, New York Times, 20 July 2026

Definition of dusty

Adjective

Stuck behind Piastri for the first and second race stints, Norris felt his pace was being compromised by dirty air — the wake from one car that causes a loss in downforce and worse handling for one following closely — coming off his teammate’s car.

— Luke Smith, New York Times, 27 July 2026
The dirty vegan takes a different kick, with kale noodles in a savory, creamy vegan broth topped with corn, steamed tofu, rolled tofu skin, sliced green onions and seasonal vegetables.

— Justin Brown, AJC.com, 26 July 2026

Definition of dirty

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“Besmirched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besmirched. Accessed 30 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of besmirched

adjective

verb

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