as in unpolished
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as in marred
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
a false accusation that nonetheless tarnished her reputation
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Recent Examples of tarnished
Doug McCauley, Oc Register, 27 May 2026
Despite its tarnished early service history ‒ the two crashes combined killed 346 people ‒ the MAX has proven a capable plane.
—Zach Wichter, USA Today, 20 May 2026
The sprawling case, which has thousands of court filings, is a battle of salvaging tarnished reputations.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 28 Apr. 2026
Try The Polish Test Use a clean, soft cloth to rub the tarnished silver.
—Lauren Wicks, Southern Living, 15 Apr. 2026
Moonlight carved out his silhouette and sparked a tarnished reflection off the gun in his right hand.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 15 Apr. 2026
Things keep lining up against Microsoft , with all roads leading back to the company's tarnished standing as an artificial intelligence leader and how that could impact the company's Azure cloud growth.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 23 Mar. 2026
But Chavez’s legacy became increasingly tarnished as the years went on.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Among critics and in press circles, Wahlberg is a bit of a tarnished superstar after that petulant display, but audiences still love their Jack Dawson.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
Matt Slater, New York Times, 2 June 2026
Inevitably, Kreutzer’s film was tarnished by association and even withdrawn from cinemas.
—Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 15 May 2026
But the Conservatives are tarnished by 14 tumultuous years in power that ended in 2024.
—ABC News, 5 May 2026
And a scandal that sees Runway fooled by (LOL) a fast fashion brand with sweatshop ties as tarnished the mag’s sterling reputation.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 29 Apr. 2026
Not tarnished because of this conflict.
—Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 24 Apr. 2026
The actress also denied making the complaint, claiming the allegations have tarnished her reputation for integrity and honesty and is seeking damages.
—Adam England, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
The squeaky-clean image of the Bachelor franchise has been tarnished, and its programming isn’t alone in becoming embroiled in headline-making drama.
—Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 16 Apr. 2026
The Factbook also likely served as a boost to the CIA’s public image and put distance between it and other intelligence agencies tarnished by congressional investigations.
—Laurie Kellman, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
The Golden State’s reputation for its business climate is a bit tarnished.
—Doug McCauley, Oc Register, 27 May 2026
Despite its tarnished early service history ‒ the two crashes combined killed 346 people ‒ the MAX has proven a capable plane.
—Zach Wichter, USA Today, 20 May 2026
The sprawling case, which has thousands of court filings, is a battle of salvaging tarnished reputations.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 28 Apr. 2026
Try The Polish Test Use a clean, soft cloth to rub the tarnished silver.
—Lauren Wicks, Southern Living, 15 Apr. 2026
Moonlight carved out his silhouette and sparked a tarnished reflection off the gun in his right hand.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 15 Apr. 2026
Things keep lining up against Microsoft , with all roads leading back to the company's tarnished standing as an artificial intelligence leader and how that could impact the company's Azure cloud growth.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 23 Mar. 2026
But Chavez’s legacy became increasingly tarnished as the years went on.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Among critics and in press circles, Wahlberg is a bit of a tarnished superstar after that petulant display, but audiences still love their Jack Dawson.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
Verb
Sadly, a small but loud minority of supporters are not listening, which means Mexico’s reputation will continue to be tarnished and the federation will keep receiving fines.
—Matt Slater, New York Times, 2 June 2026
Inevitably, Kreutzer’s film was tarnished by association and even withdrawn from cinemas.
—Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 15 May 2026
But the Conservatives are tarnished by 14 tumultuous years in power that ended in 2024.
—ABC News, 5 May 2026
And a scandal that sees Runway fooled by (LOL) a fast fashion brand with sweatshop ties as tarnished the mag’s sterling reputation.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 29 Apr. 2026
Not tarnished because of this conflict.
—Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 24 Apr. 2026
The actress also denied making the complaint, claiming the allegations have tarnished her reputation for integrity and honesty and is seeking damages.
—Adam England, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
The squeaky-clean image of the Bachelor franchise has been tarnished, and its programming isn’t alone in becoming embroiled in headline-making drama.
—Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 16 Apr. 2026
The Factbook also likely served as a boost to the CIA’s public image and put distance between it and other intelligence agencies tarnished by congressional investigations.
—Laurie Kellman, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tarnished
Adjective
-
The platform has always been deliberately unpolished — not filtered through adult editors.—
Ashoka,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
-
The prerogative of those in blue and white is that of joyful abandon; the unpolished celebrations of players, staff and fans unfamiliar with these moments.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
Last night, Tatis’ excellent game was marred by a play that should not have happened.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 June 2026
-
And despite the five-year time jump between Season Two and Season Three, Euphoria’s tentpole characters remained mired in the same troubles and destructive instincts that marred their high school days.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Otherwise, journalism may be perceived as misleading the audience, prompting people to turn to other sources of information that may be tainted by self-interest rather than public interest.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
28 May 2026
-
The court ruled unanimously that Hill had irreparably tainted the proceedings against Murdaugh in his high-profile trial over the shooting deaths of his son, Paul, and wife, Maggie.—
Michael Ruiz , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
Not every paramilitary fighter is stained by the corruption of the Shia elite or implicated in spilling innocent blood in recent years.—
Nabil Salih,
Time,
26 May 2026
-
Nobody can resist a saucy, savory sloppy joe, but you're bound to leave a sloppy joe meal with at least one article of clothing stained.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
22 May 2026
Adjective
-
There’s a wonderful small moment midway through the season where Reilly’s lightly bugging out in his dingy apartment, shaking out his limbs at sharp, insectile angles to get comfortable.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
26 May 2026
-
Margot’s room is dark and dingy, more like a cell with its anti-suicide windows, and the mattress shows unsavory traces of what looks very much like blood.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
He was buried alive on a construction site and then poisoned by a venomous rattlesnake that crawled into his coffin and attacked him.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
-
Just months after Netflix announced its plans to produce the series, Lin was poisoned and killed at age 39.—
Sylvie Zhuang,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
Palatial splendor merges with chalet coziness, particularly in the raclette and charcuterie-heavy Le Coin Savoyard restaurant (one of three in the hotel and four off-site) and in the salons, where sofas and traditional rugs are illuminated by chandeliers and dim sconces.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 June 2026
-
At 10 feet, the ceiling of The Wilder’s dim drinking den is a perfect playground to practice before the event, tall enough to windmill bar spoons between his fingers, toss vodka skyward and catch bottles behind his back.—
Phillip Valys,
Sun Sentinel,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
San Francisco spoiled a rare Rockies shutout with a two-run homer in the eighth by Drew Gilbert off reliever Blas Castano.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
31 May 2026
-
This expansion has been rumored/teased for a long while now, and it was set to release during a streaming event tomorrow, but its own launcher spoiled the fun by putting up the announcement early.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tarnished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tarnished. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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