as in damaged
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1
as in marred
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
a single indiscretion blemished the rabbi's reputation for years
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in injured
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
a scratch blemished the finish on the car
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of blemished
Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Its blemished surface hints at its violent origin deep within the Earth's mantle.
—Arkansas State Parks, Arkansas Online, 19 Aug. 2025
That’s because pantries like Friendly Hands often receive offers from truck drivers to unload pallets of food, like blemished fruit rejected from grocery stores, but without a loading dock, pantries sometimes have to refuse or are unable to store the items.
—Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 6 Aug. 2025
Until the world contains only liberal democracies, Washington can hardly avoid seeking blemished friends.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
Throop returned to his hometown in 1990 to take stock of its blemished environment.
—Steve Marble, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2022
More to the point, where does Ohio State belong when ranking an increasing list of blemished records?
—Nathan Baird, cleveland, 10 Oct. 2021
Ensuring that doesn't happen will require finding better ways to clean up blemished images — and that takes time and money.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN, 2 July 2020
But perhaps the bigger question is how someone with such a blemished resume got the job in the first place.
—Ramona Giwargis, The Mercury News, 5 May 2017
Pj Green
october 20, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2025
Reputational damage occurs when a business’s name is blemished in some manner.
—Emily Reynolds, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Scarred and blemished grapefruits and blood oranges are falling off his trees, Schmidt told KSEE.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Its blemished surface hints at its violent origin deep within the Earth's mantle.
—Arkansas State Parks, Arkansas Online, 19 Aug. 2025
That’s because pantries like Friendly Hands often receive offers from truck drivers to unload pallets of food, like blemished fruit rejected from grocery stores, but without a loading dock, pantries sometimes have to refuse or are unable to store the items.
—Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 6 Aug. 2025
Until the world contains only liberal democracies, Washington can hardly avoid seeking blemished friends.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
Throop returned to his hometown in 1990 to take stock of its blemished environment.
—Steve Marble, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2022
More to the point, where does Ohio State belong when ranking an increasing list of blemished records?
—Nathan Baird, cleveland, 10 Oct. 2021
Ensuring that doesn't happen will require finding better ways to clean up blemished images — and that takes time and money.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN, 2 July 2020
But perhaps the bigger question is how someone with such a blemished resume got the job in the first place.
—Ramona Giwargis, The Mercury News, 5 May 2017
Verb
Shawnee’s local government, including the City Council, has been blemished by controversy for more than a decade.
—Pj Green
october 20, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2025
Reputational damage occurs when a business’s name is blemished in some manner.
—Emily Reynolds, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blemished
Adjective
-
Even if direct fighting eased soon, damaged facilities, disrupted logistics and shipping risk could keep fuel markets distorted for weeks or months.—
Dante Motley,
Austin American Statesman,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The sheriff's office also advised people to avoid damaged structures and structures that had been marked by emergency personnel.—
Nour Rahal,
Freep.com,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Panthers’ season has been marred by injuries and players running on fumes in the aftermath of three consecutive runs to the Stanley Cup Final, including winning it all each of the past two years.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Peterson is breathtakingly talented as a scorer and on-ball initiator, but health concerns have marred an otherwise impressive freshman season.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
None of the synagogue's staff, teachers or the 140 children at its early childhood center were injured, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Authorities are investigating the Old Dominion University shooting that left one person dead and two others injured as an act of terrorism, FBI Director Kash Patel said on Thursday, March 12.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The most recent blackout was blamed on a broken boiler at a thermoelectric plant that forced the shutdown of Cuba's power grid.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Mar. 2026
-
While clinical care is often compassionate and skilled, the financial structure surrounding that care is deeply broken — Florida hospitals see the most revenue per capita in the country, while Floridians have faced some of the highest rates of surprise billing for hospital stays in the country.—
Linda D. Gadd,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Once a sky-blue democracy is restored, may Trump’s days of infamy be ruled illegitimate and his name and legacy duly tainted by all of history, darkly blackened or cautiously reddened in the honest records that this twerp and his twisted cohorts have conspired so heinously to whitewash.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Is there something tainted or cursed about this place?—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The four-week shutdown has crippled airport security, with waits exceeding three hours at some airports as screeners work without pay amid spring break travel.—
Kevin Freking,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
-
By controlling Gaza’s land, air and sea access, Israel has crippled its economy and infrastructure.—
Ken Barnes,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Smart, capable and quick-witted, Toha’s current joy comes from her relationship with Nelly (Khadija Ahmed), the spoiled granddaughter of her employer (Hanan Youssef), a tetchy, elderly diabetic.—
Alissa Simon,
Variety,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Trump may be a little spoiled, as the Republican-majority high court has supported most of his positions.—
Tom Zirpoli,
Baltimore Sun,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
And across the room, there's a large wardrobe that's stained to match.—
Sarah Everett,
The Spruce,
12 Mar. 2026
-
It’s been dried, stripped of bark, sanded to silky smoothness, stained, sealed and painstakingly carved.—
Kathy Gurchiek,
AJC.com,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blemished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blemished. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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