as in taints
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
a false accusation that nonetheless tarnished her reputation
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Recent Examples of tarnishes
This tarnishes my view of Dean.
—
Edward Segarra, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2025
Ana Luisa Tired of budget-friendly jewelry that tarnishes after just a few wears?
—Lauren Alexis Fisher, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Edward Segarra, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2025
Ana Luisa Tired of budget-friendly jewelry that tarnishes after just a few wears?
—Lauren Alexis Fisher, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tarnishes
Verb
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The film centered on the Environmental Protection Agency encasing the Simpsons’ hometown of Springfield in a dome after Homer taints the area’s water supply.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Deadly holiday weekend mars broad crime drop The back-and-forth followed a Labor Day weekend of deadly violence in Chicago worse than in the previous two years, with seven people shot to death, according to preliminary Chicago Police Department reports.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
3 Sep. 2025
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Valuing a project at cost of production rather than value in an arm’s length sale—common in all economic statistics—especially mars Chinese data.—
Bill Conerly,
Forbes.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Nothing spoils a Sunday afternoon outside with the family quite like your youngest child being carried off by a horde of maladjusted howler monkeys.—
Paul Cappiello,
Louisville Courier Journal,
24 Sep. 2025
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Pre-cut produce also spoils quicker and could pick up pathogens when sliced open.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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When the sky darkens, her stomach clenches.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
1 Oct. 2025
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When that last stellar ember cools and darkens, the age of black holes will still be in its early days.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Blood still regularly stains the floors of the Coliseum’s rings.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tarnishes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tarnishes. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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