as in stain
a mark of guilt or disgrace
corruption charges that were a smirch on her reputation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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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Let the item sit for about 20 minutes so the fat in the coconut oil has time to break down the stain, then wash the item as normal.—
Patricia Shannon,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Mar. 2026 -
Regular cleaning and quick spill cleanups help prevent long-term stains, warping, and dullness.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Sepulveda Basin has seen numerous brush fires in recent years, with the most being the Burbank fire in August 2024, which blackened 75 acres of almost entirely invasive, nonnative plants.—
Daily News,
Daily News,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Contrast ratio is defined as the brightness difference between the brightest white tones and the darkest blacks, so this implies that the Studio Display XDR can turn off (fully blacken) the pixels within dimming zones.—
Tony Hoffman,
PC Magazine,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But no one here is out to humiliate anyone, which is nasty and unkind and not at all the sort of humor Lawrence trades in.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
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Walz and Ellison were humiliated and could not account for their blundering.—
Joe Soucheray,
Twin Cities,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Iran, a war targeting regime change and the destruction of its nuclear capacities — laudable goals — also has the suspicious taint of being all about oil.—
Markos Kounalakis,
Mercury News,
5 Mar. 2026
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The taint of being part of the cheating 2017 Astros has worn off over the years, and Cubs fans are banging the drum for Bregman’s arrival, excited to have an offensive upgrade from Matt Shaw, who can still learn a lot from playing multiple positions and watching from the bench.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But as filming continued, Pidgeon appeared to dirty her butter blond with caramel and chocolate shades similar to Bessette-Kennedy’s, thanks to stylist Kari Hill.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
25 Feb. 2026
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With the help of your Instant Pot, spaghetti and meatballs come together in under an hour without dirtying multiple dishes.—
Jenna Sims,
Southern Living,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Election experts widely discredited the review as shoddy and partisan.—
Benjamin Swasey,
NPR,
9 Mar. 2026
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These accusations are coming from far-right and far-left accounts as well as anti-Israel groups, such as Students for Justice in Palestine, that are inclined to discredit Israel.—
Andrew Silow-Carroll,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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But the blot on Sacramento State’s basketball resume is the road record.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
5 Mar. 2026
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The left-back has started 123 of the last 125 games and 86 of the last 87, with the blot on his card arriving late last season when manager Oliver Glasner rested key players after Palace won the FA Cup.—
Gregg Evans,
New York Times,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Imagine having the gall to besmirch the name of a young mother killed for trying to speak up for her neighbors or of an ICU nurse shot in the back for trying to tend to a woman who had been pepper-sprayed in the face.—
Sasha Abramsky,
Washington Post,
2 Feb. 2026
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The lack of awards buzz shouldn’t besmirch Amanda Seyfried’s performance here, though, which is great.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
23 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Smirch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smirch. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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