SMEARED Synonyms: 70 Similar and Opposite Words

smeared

verb

past tense of smear

as in painted

to rub an oily or sticky substance over the toddler gleefully smeared her hair and face with maple syrup

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in libeled

to make untrue and harmful statements about he is willing to smear his opponent if doing so would win the election

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 smeared Apparently, ancient Greeks used breadsticks smeared with olive oil as a lubricant. — Rachel Handler, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026 Her makeup, crafted by Diana Shin, was equally as striking and overtly feminine, featuring pink shadow smeared in her crease, shimmer on her lids, falsies glued to her top lash line and burgundy lip liner accenting her lips. — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026 Sweat glistened on the white foundation smeared across her face. — Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026 One prank involved Quan, Capshaw, and Harrison Ford surprising Spielberg with ice cream smeared all over their faces for one take. — Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Sep. 2026 The bombshell discovery in the little red dot spectra was that the colors of hydrogen were smeared out across multiple shades. — Quanta Magazine, 14 Sep. 2026 Camille can still picture Burke standing over her, fake blood smeared across her dress. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026 There’s rarely anything as straightforward as a kick drum, a hi-hat, or even a bassline here; instead, everything is smeared, all origins occulted in a thicket of echoes and reflections. — Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 4 Aug. 2026 In 2012 an angler pulled a brown bullhead out of a lake on the Vermont-Quebec border with what looked like tar smeared across its skin. — John Drake, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for smeared

Verb

Present-day designer Philippe Starck is credited with the modern update of the hotel’s aesthetic and his daughter Ara painted a large ceiling tapestry for the restaurant.

— Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026
An Airbus plane painted in Spirit Airlines' livery sits at an AerSale's facility in Goodyear, Arizona.

— Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of painted

Verb

From the very start, the students assigned as guards went on cruel power trips and repeatedly humiliated — if not psychologically tortured — the inmates, to the point that some of the prisoners suffered nervous breakdowns.

— Frank Landymore, Futurism, 29 Oct. 2026
The Packers come off an angry loss while the Panthers were humiliated on Sunday.

— Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of humiliated

Verb

That's not a reference to the reportedly amazing new documentary about disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes.

— Brian Sullivan, CNBC, 29 Oct. 2026
But for audiences outside North America, catching Nathan Fielder’s three-hour documentary about disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes — now expected to be a major player in awards season — has become a frustrating waiting game.

— Alex Ritman, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of disgraced

Verb

To his right, Morello’s teenage son Roman, who ripped out a solo with his electric guitar behind his back, the instrument daubed with a call to action for homeless rights.

— Lars Brandle, Billboard, 30 Sep. 2026
The dimming sun and a few gauzy clouds are daubed across the sky.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 July 2026

Definition of daubed

Verb

Over time, white towels can become dingy or stained, losing their bright appearance and fluffy texture.

— Anyssa Roberts, The Spruce, 28 Oct. 2026
In the distance was a bronze statue of Louis XIV on a rearing horse in the majestic Place des Victoires, its stone pedestal stained by protesters’ splashes of red paint.

— Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of stained

Verb

But in their more than 50 million years on Earth, these maligned creatures have developed some admirable qualities, too.

— Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 28 Oct. 2026
His lawyer has maintained his client’s innocence, saying Betancourt has been unfairly maligned because people associate him with a group of wealthy young Venezuelans, some of whom have been accused of wrongdoing, according to press reports.

— Cate Brown, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of maligned

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smear

smeared

smearing

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“Smeared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smeared. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of smeared

verb

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