as in to stain
to make dirty
she accidentally smudged her collar with the lipstick
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in stain
a mark of guilt or disgrace
the president's spouse must not have the slightest smudge of scandal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smudge
Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 28 May 2025
Pade paints directly onto the canvas without a preparatory drawing, often smudging areas of the canvas with a cloth at the end of a day in her Paris studio.
—Lee Sharrock, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 9 Apr. 2025
Additionally, paper towels aren't great at removing tough stains, such as fingerprint smudges or grease buildup, which often accumulates on appliance handles.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smudge
Verb
They can get warped by humidity, smudged with sunscreen, or crumpled in the bottom of a tote.
—Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 28 May 2025
Pade paints directly onto the canvas without a preparatory drawing, often smudging areas of the canvas with a cloth at the end of a day in her Paris studio.
—Lee Sharrock, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
Noun
After 30 to 60 seconds under a UV lamp, your manicure is smudge proof and long-wearing.
—Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 9 Apr. 2025
Additionally, paper towels aren't great at removing tough stains, such as fingerprint smudges or grease buildup, which often accumulates on appliance handles.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smudge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smudge
Verb
-
But with Victoria’s Secret, Super inherited a beleaguered brand stained by upheaval and scandal.—
Alicia Adamczyk,
Fortune,
28 June 2025
-
White signaled cleanliness, leisure and a house filled with staff who could get those pesky grass stains out.—
Brett F. Braley-Palko,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
Noun
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Some argued that, given the presumptive unethical taint of such collections, human remains should be buried or otherwise respectfully disposed of.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
23 June 2025
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That realization tends to color behavior, and taints the findings.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
17 June 2025
Verb
-
And for nights when you can't be bothered to dirty a million dishes just to get dinner on the table, there's an air fryer from Ninja.—
Sarah Felbin,
SELF,
23 May 2025
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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
Noun
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Pretreat any stains with a stain remover of choice and blot with a dry white cloth to remove as much stain prior to washing.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
21 Apr. 2025
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Add a bit more color to the corners of the lips, then use your fingers to blot and blur the edges, as needed.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
4 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The site was visibly blackened by the degree of rubble thrown up by the strikes.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
23 June 2025
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Broil the bell pepper for 4 to 6 minutes, until the skin starts to blacken.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
9 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smudge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smudge. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
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