Synonyms of daub

daub 1 of 2

verb

ˈdȯb 

1

as in to stain

to make dirty

a tablecloth daubed with too many spills to ignore any longer

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stain
• blacken
• dirty
• smudge
• muck
• soil
• smirch
• mess
• besmirch
• muddy
• sully
• grime
• befoul
• mire
• foul
• gaum
• bemire
• distain
• contaminate
• begrime
• taint
• pollute
• discolor
• defile
• disarrange
• jumble
• muddle
• disarray
• dishevel
• draggle
• disorder
• colly
• confuse
• crock

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• clean
• cleanse
• wipe
• brush
• purge
• purify
• decontaminate
• wash
• scrub
• sweep
• disinfect
• mop
• rinse
• dust
• scour
• sanitize
• renew
• launder
• brighten
• freshen
• spruce (up)
• straighten (up)
• dry-clean
• tidy (up)
• deodorize

2

as in to smear

to rub an oily or sticky substance over

he begins his nightly transformation into a circus clown by daubing greasepaint on his face

Synonyms & Similar Words

• smear
• paint
• coat
• plaster
• anoint
• besmear
• stain
• bedaub
• smudge
• oil
• grease
• dirty
• tar
• soil
• gum
• lard
• smirch
• muck
• besmirch
• blacken
• sully
• muddy
• befoul
• mire
• foul
• grime
• gaum
• pitch
• bemire
• begrime

daub

2 of 2

noun

as in drawing

Related Words

• drawing
• portrait
• sketch
• watercolor
• etching
• representation
• silhouette
• resemblance
• finger painting
• depiction
• doodle
• caricature
• photograph
• collage
• view
• delineation
• cartoon
• image
• likeness
• montage
• illustration
• picture
• icon
• hieroglyphic
• hieroglyph
• ideogram
• ideograph
• diagram
• pictograph

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of daub

Verb

The burial ground and temple were unearthed when someone tried to build a drainage channel for a modern house; to prevent the dampness of visitors’ breath from damaging the extraordinary artworks daubed on the walls, entry is limited to 80 people per day. — Mark Ellwood, AFAR Media, 25 Feb. 2026

The Place de la République in Paris was daubed in swastikas and anti-Semitic slogans last Sunday after a neo-Nazi rally, and offices of France Unbowed have been attacked. — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 21 Feb. 2026

Noun

After another row or two, Daignault’s canvases become increasingly abstract, finally dissolving into blurred daubs of color against black fields. — Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2024

One church staffer presses a Bible to her forehead while another daubs her stomach with a pocket-size vial of holy oil. — Sam Kestenbaum, Harper's Magazine, 21 June 2024