1
as in tainting
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
mar a politician's reputation with scurrilous rumors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in damaging
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
the once glossy surface is now marred by numerous small pits and abrasions
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 marring
Lined with live oaks and old-fashioned, busy storefronts, this artsy town on the Gulf of Mexico has no commercial development marring its shoreline.
—
Valerie Fraser Luesse, Southern Living, 16 June 2026
In Strasbourg, groups of Palace supporters clashed among themselves in a square in the city centre, marring the occasion.
—Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 28 May 2026
Now, her engagement to the most influential eligible Commander in Gilead has been called off, marring her reputation.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 27 May 2026
Ancient lava fields can be seen as dark lunar maria marring the silvery lunar surface, which themselves are threaded with bright streaks of reflective debris strewn across the surface by violent asteroid strikes.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 2 Apr. 2026
The demoralizing graffiti marring the main entrance to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 360 Lenox Ave.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 12 Feb. 2026
Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate, along with Detroit’s Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren, were ejected for fighting, marring what was an intriguing game between the top team in the Eastern Conference and the one featuring the NBA’s longest current win streak.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 10 Feb. 2026
An optional front rack on both models adds instant utility without marring the retro-fantastic looks.
—William Roberson, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Valerie Fraser Luesse, Southern Living, 16 June 2026
In Strasbourg, groups of Palace supporters clashed among themselves in a square in the city centre, marring the occasion.
—Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 28 May 2026
Now, her engagement to the most influential eligible Commander in Gilead has been called off, marring her reputation.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 27 May 2026
Ancient lava fields can be seen as dark lunar maria marring the silvery lunar surface, which themselves are threaded with bright streaks of reflective debris strewn across the surface by violent asteroid strikes.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 2 Apr. 2026
The demoralizing graffiti marring the main entrance to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 360 Lenox Ave.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 12 Feb. 2026
Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate, along with Detroit’s Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren, were ejected for fighting, marring what was an intriguing game between the top team in the Eastern Conference and the one featuring the NBA’s longest current win streak.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 10 Feb. 2026
An optional front rack on both models adds instant utility without marring the retro-fantastic looks.
—William Roberson, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for marring
Verb
-
The case has attracted enormous media attention and concerns from both sides about misinformation tainting the potential jury pool.—
Rebecca Boone,
Chicago Tribune,
22 June 2026
-
Thursday’s study is not the first indication that social media may be tainting people’s views on sunscreen and sun safety.—
Lily Alvino,
NBC news,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
Primary hazards include damaging wind gusts, locally heavy rainfall and frequent lightning strikes, with hail and a brief tornado or waterspout also possible.—
Garfield Hylton,
The Orlando Sentinel,
19 June 2026
-
Nelson is doing fine now In 2000, Nelson was diagnosed with HIV and sarcoidosis, a condition that went into remission until a severe case of Legionnaires’ disease in 2021 reactivated it, damaging both his lungs and liver.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
Color Changes Foods can darken or brown slightly from exposure to oxygen rather than spoiling.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
18 June 2026
-
Mbappé and his teammates were inefficient to start, with poor touches spoiling attacks in and out of the box.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
History shows democratic societies periodically require moral correction when economic systems begin injuring people faster than institutions can protect them.—
Tom Debley,
Mercury News,
16 June 2026
-
Daniella and Castro admitted to injuring a corporal officer by dislocating his shoulder, per the outlet.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
Sealing the grout keeps foods from staining it.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
20 June 2026
-
Natural stone can be more involved; it should be sealed before grouting and can require upkeep to protect against staining.—
Angelika Pokovba,
Martha Stewart,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
To that end, members of Forbes Human Resources Council share their strategies for using AI to keep projects moving during peak vacation months without compromising employee well-being.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
-
Part of that process involved Quenda embarking on a rigorous programme of nutrition and muscle development aimed at better equipping him to handle the greater degree of physicality in Premier League football without compromising his speed or agility.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
Today, the skies seem to be darkening once again.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
19 June 2026
-
One brush fire from the summer storm then split into two, and the raging flames sent plumes of black smoke upward, darkening the skies for miles and fouling the air.—
Kairi Lowery,
Miami Herald,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
Crucially, the strike targeted a critical AVT-6 distillation unit, potentially crippling the refinery's entire 12 million tons/year capacity,.—
David Hambling,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
-
The fall broke both his legs, crippling him.—
Jennifer Ouellette,
ArsTechnica,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Marring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/marring. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
