as in soiled
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as in stained
to make dirty
she dirtied her new sneakers when she splashed in the puddle
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Recent Examples of dirtied
Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2026
The dirtied shirt of the peeping tom in the video reminds him of his attacker’s dirty shirt, leading Ron to find the man’s hiding spot outside the office.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2025
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
The ashes from the crematorium chimney covered the streets, sooted the rain, dirtied the snow, damaged the crops, infected every body.
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
At Dilara Findikoglu, models looked like ladies in waiting that had risen from the dead; wearing antiquated corsetry that was dirtied and torn.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
No player captured his heart quite like the Phillies second baseman best known for an understated vibe, dirtied uniforms and supreme feel for the game.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2026
The dirtied shirt of the peeping tom in the video reminds him of his attacker’s dirty shirt, leading Ron to find the man’s hiding spot outside the office.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2025
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
The ashes from the crematorium chimney covered the streets, sooted the rain, dirtied the snow, damaged the crops, infected every body.
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
At Dilara Findikoglu, models looked like ladies in waiting that had risen from the dead; wearing antiquated corsetry that was dirtied and torn.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dirtied
Adjective
-
Let the paste sit for 10 to 20 minutes, leaving it on longer for heavily greased or soiled areas.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
16 Jan. 2026
-
Bonner’s story is what is right about sports, which seem to become more soiled and corrupt by the minute.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Worn Clothing Do not fill your dresser drawers with garments that have seen better days to the point that they're torn or stained.—
Sarah Lyon,
Southern Living,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Set in a landscape stained by red clay and bad blood, villainy is commonplace.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
His powerful and begrimed hands cradled each item as delicately as a bird’s egg before squaring it away.—
Kent Russell,
Harper's Magazine,
11 May 2022
-
In a theatre that admits no light or sound from the outside world, the audience watches as poor, begrimed laborers and criminals are pushed onstage to shoot their kids and stab their teachers.—
Merve Emre,
The New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2021
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
-
After Mitchell’s arrest, the sheriff’s department released a photo of him, handcuffed, his face still blackened.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
And then as with all of those artists that are beyond music but are actually cultural icons, all of the corruptive things come, and the body becomes corrupted.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Only the corrupted mediums of mass communication have changed.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But a battlefield promotion to Ayatollah was arranged, blending faith with politics in an exercise that critics said sullied both even before Khamenei reinforced his position by earthly means, elevating the IRGC.—
Karl Vick,
Time,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Revelations in 2020 that Boohoo’s Leicester contractors were subjecting their workers to exploitative pay and unsafe conditions certainly sullied the Midlands city’s reputation.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
6 Feb. 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
Adjective
-
Only the first is still fashionable, and the last has been so debased, misused, and weaponized over the centuries as to be almost unspeakable in polite company.—
Zadie Smith,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
-
But in recent years, acts of brazen violence have been the grim drumbeat of a debased national politics.—
Eric Cortellessa,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dirtied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dirtied. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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