as in stain
a mark of guilt or disgrace
corruption charges that were a smirch on her reputation
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to stain
to make dirty
their clothes were smirched by dust from the trail
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to humiliate
to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes
this scandal will forever smirch the name of a once-great family
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smirch
Noun
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Dorai Home Dish Pad – Quick-Dry Diatomite Stone Drying Mat for Kitchen Counter Compressed diatomaceous earth will also hold onto stains, which makes sense given the fact that its job is to absorb moisture.—
Emily Farris,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
3 June 2025 -
Many of the vessels were sunk in very deep water, and a reconnaissance mission would require a significant amount of time and funds, by which point the more than 80-year-old wrecks could be little more than rust stains on the seafloor.—
Asia London Palomba,
Smithsonian Magazine,
2 June 2025
Verb
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Four months later, the hills around his home are still blackened and toxic.—
Josh Rottenberg,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2025
-
Some of the jewel beetle wings had their original green-yellow-red hues while others had blackened.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
22 May 2025
Verb
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And after Trump’s attempts to humiliate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office, the lure of the White House is waning.—
Stephen Collinson,
CNN Money,
31 May 2025
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Simone Inzaghi really needs the win here — his Italian side finished one point behind Serie A champ Napoli and was humiliated by rival AC Milan in the Coppa Italia semifinal.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
31 May 2025
Noun
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In his podcast on The Daily Wire this week, conservative commentator Ben Shapiro cited the taint of the jet deal and called on his listeners to honestly consider its implications.—
Howard LaFranchi,
Christian Science Monitor,
15 May 2025
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Chapter 7 Delaware Bay Water that Americans rely on for drinking and irrigation under threat from taint of saltwater Between New Jersey and Delaware, the river gives way to the Delaware Bay, where the water is salty.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Crème Brûlée Steve Granitz Crème brûlée is like butter blonde, but dirtied up a bit for a browned, warm tint.—
Audrey Noble,
Vogue,
2 May 2025
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He’s come through with timely hits, dirtied his uniform on the bases and made an impact with his arm in the outfield.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Trump’s team is working furiously to keep the bill going on other fronts, too: seeking to discredit Congress’s nonpartisan scorekeeper while savaging Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., for resisting the bill and its debt ceiling increase.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
6 June 2025
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The White House has sought to discredit the CBO, but other groups have also presented estimates that conclude that the legislation would expand the U.S. government deficit by trillions of dollars.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
4 June 2025
Noun
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Vietnam is a wound for many Americans: a bloody quagmire, a blot on our conscience, a war that claimed more than 58,000 American lives and shattered faith at home in the good intentions of the government.—
Leo Tran,
Chicago Tribune,
11 May 2025
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Finally, blot the eyebrows dry with a cotton pad or tissue, and voila!—
Jenny Berg,
Vogue,
25 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Their reputations were besmirched.—
The Editors,
National Review,
17 Dec. 2024
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Images illustrating the reality versus carefully edited Instagram selfies have somewhat besmirched Santorini’s romantic reputation of late.—
Helen Iatrou,
AFAR Media,
16 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Smirch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smirch. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.
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