besmirched 1 of 2

adjective

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

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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

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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
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
  1. stained
  2. blackened
  3. filthy
  4. dirtied
  5. muddy
  6. sullied
  7. dusty
  8. dirty
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
  • Being outdoors, they’re exposed to all sorts of dust, pollen, dirt, bird droppings, spider webs, leaves, sap, weather, and pollutants carried by the wind, which can leave a filthy coating on your shutters.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Cleaning our planet’s filthy ports could one day get a boost from a creature with a very messy nickname.
    — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 30 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
  • Heavy rainfall continued to impact Lollapalooza on Saturday, as doors were delayed opening until 2pm, and guests were advised to wear waterproof shoes as Grant Park would be muddy.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The Athletic’s reporting and the ensuing federal investigation have clarified what initially looked like a muddy picture.
    — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 28 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
  • The trend intelligence platform said mentions of dusty rose, ecru and gray denim are climbing among key influencers.
    — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 29 July 2026
  • This soft brown lumbar pillow comes with a dusty teal border that makes the aster print pop.
    — Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 July 2026
Definition of dusty
Adjective
  • Some of the booths included food businesses including bakeries and lemonade stands and a dirty soda booth.
    — David Sharos, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Now condemned and boarded up, cordoned off by sagging tape, dirty roll-up door set to adorn the front pages of tomorrow’s papers.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of dirty

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Cite this Entry

“Besmirched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besmirched. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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