as in to taint
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
a false accusation that nonetheless tarnished her reputation
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Recent Examples of tarnish
Crowe believes that Maximus fathering a son with a woman other than his wife tarnishes his character's legacy, as the gladiator's primary motivation in the original film is to avenge the deaths of his wife and son.
—
Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Dec. 2025
Man, Mike’s rep is getting more tarnished by the day.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 7 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile, James' legacy won't be tarnished by a misstep in scoring, as he's still considered by many to be the greatest basketball player on the planet, and by many others, the greatest of all time.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
Geeta Bakshi, a former CIA officer who served in Afghanistan, said that her former Afghan colleagues are distraught that one of their countrymen is accused of having attacked Americans and that the entire community of Afghan veterans could be tarnished by the shooter’s horrific actions.
—Rich Schapiro, NBC news, 4 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tarnish
Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Dec. 2025
Man, Mike’s rep is getting more tarnished by the day.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 7 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile, James' legacy won't be tarnished by a misstep in scoring, as he's still considered by many to be the greatest basketball player on the planet, and by many others, the greatest of all time.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
Geeta Bakshi, a former CIA officer who served in Afghanistan, said that her former Afghan colleagues are distraught that one of their countrymen is accused of having attacked Americans and that the entire community of Afghan veterans could be tarnished by the shooter’s horrific actions.
—Rich Schapiro, NBC news, 4 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tarnish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tarnish
Verb
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Viral clothes, engineered to spin the internet into days of discourse, tainted our collective sense of what was glamorous and pretty.—
Rachel Tashjian,
CNN Money,
12 Jan. 2026
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Just as one bite of a cookie might not happen to contain chocolate chips, one small sample of drugs might not include fentanyl even if the larger supply is tainted, the agency’s website explains.—
Angie Leventis Lourgos,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The announcement comes as consumer demand for plug-in hybrids has slowed and federal support for electric powertrains has vanished, while, simultaneously, certain Stellantis 4xe vehicles have been marred by continuous recalls.—
Liam Rappleye,
Freep.com,
9 Jan. 2026
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Their union was marred by affairs on both sides, perhaps most notably Charles’s ongoing affair with the former Camilla Parker Bowles (now Queen Camilla).—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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For this year’s peak in the early hours of July 31, only the most dramatic of the Capricornids will drop jaws, as a wanning gibbous moon (98 percent illumination) will spoil dark skies.—
Michael d'Estries,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Jan. 2026
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And yet, Peyton Watson (30th overall) is becoming a keeper and Christian Braun (21st overall), even as an ankle injury threatens to spoil this season, landed a second contract as a core player.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This mixture attacks stains a bit stronger than the water solution.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
11 Jan. 2026
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While new doors can cost anywhere from several hundred to thousands of dollars, staining, painting, and weather stripping can be done for under $150, according to O'Reilly.—
Shagun Khare,
The Spruce,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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For part of the trial of El Chapo, the city shut down the Brooklyn Bridge; his lawyers tried to move the proceedings to Philadelphia, because the jury pool was poisoned by angry commuters.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
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Alice is paranoid, thinking her roommate is rearranging her shower supplies and that someone might be poisoning her food.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Legal challenges looming The financial outlook could darken further depending on the judicial branch.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
8 Jan. 2026
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This higher temperature darkens the paste, slightly caramelizes the sugar, and deactivates enzymes that would otherwise break down pectin, resulting in a thicker, more cooked-tasting product.—
Anne Wolf,
Martha Stewart,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tarnish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tarnish. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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