1
as in to taint
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
her poor choice of companions stained her reputation somewhat
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to paint
to give color or a different color to
stained the table to look like cherry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to dirty
to make dirty
oil stained his work pants
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in blot
a mark of guilt or disgrace
the stain of this cowardly act would haunt him for the rest of his career
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 stain
Sammy Loren, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
And long-term, bat oils and droppings can stain a home and create preconditions for mold.
—Caden Perry, jsonline.com, 24 Mar. 2026
Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 31 Mar. 2026
Each pad features scrubbing strips that work hard to remove grime and stains and, when combined with a premixed solution, thoroughly clean floors.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stain
Verb
Phillipe’s teeth were often as wine-stained as his customers’.
—Sammy Loren, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
And long-term, bat oils and droppings can stain a home and create preconditions for mold.
—Caden Perry, jsonline.com, 24 Mar. 2026
Noun
Any accidental stains on the skin can be wiped off easily.
—Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 31 Mar. 2026
Each pad features scrubbing strips that work hard to remove grime and stains and, when combined with a premixed solution, thoroughly clean floors.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stain
Verb
-
Institutional investors, such as German pension funds, saw the company as ethically tainted, and its stock price lagged far behind that of defense firms from other parts of Europe.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Ohio has seen fewer deaths but more risky behavior lately as fentanyl supplies dry up and people turn to substitutes tainted by animal tranquilizers.—
Kaitlin Coward,
Boston Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In the loft, Ann tells Caroline that Lauren is often a footnote to sycophantic memorials for John in the media, while Carolyn continues to be painted as a villain.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The official police and legal record, on the other hand, paints a much more damning picture of Bolsonaro’s participation in a coup plot.—
Anthony W. Pereira,
The Conversation,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
Noun
-
But the blot on Sacramento State’s basketball resume is the road record.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
5 Mar. 2026
-
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
Noun
-
Laser hair removal relies on pigment in the hair root to absorb light energy and disable the follicle.—
Leslie Baumann,
Miami Herald,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Not only does the light-as-air foam's violet pigment tone hair, the formula removes metals and minerals that cause brassiness and uses a polymer to stop additional metals and minerals from reattaching to strands.—
Jackie Fields,
PEOPLE,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Mexico's government has said that the official registry of disappeared is an overcount, often marred by faulty data from local prosecutor's offices and cases of people being reported missing two or three times.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
But his first year in Philly was marred by knee and adductor injuries that resulted in the forward having one of the worst years of his NBA career.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Even our stories of growth can dangerously color our relationship to resilience.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
-
While the movie has some fun asking whether people actually want to know everything about their partners (a devil’s bargain since time immemorial), its real interest lies in how that knowledge is colored by who shares it.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Grace, her white lace dress blackened with blood, is smoking a cigarette outside of an incinerated mansion that belongs to her in-laws, the Le Domas, who are all dead.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
-
The Israeli strikes on oil facilities sparked massive pillars of fire and blackened the skies above Tehran.—
NPR Staff,
NPR,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stain. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
