tarnish

verb

ˈtär-nish How to pronounce tarnish (audio)
Definition of tarnishnext
as in to taint
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable a false accusation that nonetheless tarnished her reputation

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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Recent Examples of tarnish Inevitably, Kreutzer’s film was tarnished by association and even withdrawn from some cinemas. — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2026 Both residents and politicians feared the court ruling would tarnish Kosovo’s independence struggle. — ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026 Both residents and politicians fear the court ruling would tarnish Kosovo's independence struggle. — Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026 For one Kansas City coffee shop, a video tarnishing the establishment ended up being a blessing in disguise. — Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tarnish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tarnish
  1. taint
  2. mar
  3. spoil
  4. stain
  5. poison
  6. darken
Verb
  • Or has dance music’s bad rap — as fun but vacuous and unserious — tainted the current version of the genre?
    — Rachel Narozniak, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2026
  • That means if the sewage system backs up, the sink could be tainted.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of taint
Verb
  • Mass protests in France are often marred by violence on the fringes of otherwise peaceful marches, leading to clashes with police.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026
  • There were also parts that were not as successful — mainly the parts marred by his physical unreadiness.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of mar
Verb
  • There has been no more satisfying slap in cinema this year than the one Erika lands on a smug German actor, leading to a wicked punchline that shouldn’t be spoiled.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Anthony Edwards hit nine 3-pointers and scored 45 points to join an elite club; LaMelo Ball scored 21 in his Minnesota debut, and the Timberwolves spoiled Giannis Antetokounmpo's first game with Miami by beating the Heat 131-106 on Wednesday night.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of spoil
Verb
  • The armpits of the Quran shirt are stained with centuries-old sweat.
    — Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
  • In 2005, a vote-buying scheme known as Mensalão led to the conviction of senior PT figures and stained the party’s image.
    — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of stain
Verb
  • Its death, poisoned by anti-freeze in April 2020 during Spain’s COVID confinement, sparks on screen and real-life the first criminal investigation in Spain and Europe for an animal’s slaughter.
    — John Hopewell, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Above all, Flanagan understands how even a mother’s love can be poisoned by fear when Carrie uses her newfound powers to wrest control of the household from her mother.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of poison
Verb
  • Abdalla’s fall refresh enhances her brunette base by darkening her roots and replacing those golden ribbons with warm brunette tones for lived-in dimension.
    — Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Instead, the surrounding sky darkens, increasing the contrast until the pale daytime moon seems to switch on at dusk and grow increasingly brilliant.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of darken

Browse Nearby Words

tarn
tarnish
tarnished
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tarnish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tarnish. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on tarnish

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tarnish

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All