as in marring
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
a false accusation that nonetheless tarnished her reputation
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in contamination
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Recent Examples of tarnishing
Brian Steinberg, Variety, 21 Aug. 2025
The tourism hub is lined with hotels, restaurants, shops and entertainment spots, but the council says lewd messages sprawled across the backsides of storefront mannequins and tongue-in-cheek T-shirts are tarnishing the area’s wholesome image.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Looming over all of it has been the sad, enervating situation with Alexander Isak, forever enshrined as a club legend by dint of Wembley last season but now beyond the point of tarnishing that legacy.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 10 Aug. 2025
Noun
The decision has vexed supporters of the program and of journalism in general, who charged Paramount executives risked tarnishing a media brand that has long sought to hold power to account and to probe events with an independent lens.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 21 Aug. 2025
The tourism hub is lined with hotels, restaurants, shops and entertainment spots, but the council says lewd messages sprawled across the backsides of storefront mannequins and tongue-in-cheek T-shirts are tarnishing the area’s wholesome image.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Looming over all of it has been the sad, enervating situation with Alexander Isak, forever enshrined as a club legend by dint of Wembley last season but now beyond the point of tarnishing that legacy.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 10 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tarnishing
Verb
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Boston comes in with three straight losses marring otherwise agreeable vibes.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
21 Aug. 2025
Noun
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In fact, rinsing again can increase the risk of cross-contamination from your sink, hands, or utensils.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
7 Sep. 2025
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There was what was called the ‘contamination rule’.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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And around all this, the whiff of Epstein is tainting the president's achievements.—
Kate Plummer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Dylan O’Brien stans might have already seen Twinless, the movie that got leaked because his die-hards couldn’t resist spoiling a major scene from it out of Sundance.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
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Shelf-stable items are often the most plentiful in Burmese grocery stores in Milwaukee since they can be shipped across the world without refrigeration or concerns about spoiling.—
Sophie Carson,
jsonline.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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But some scientists, while endorsing the need to drastically reduce planet-heating pollution, warned against cutting off research into polar geoengineering.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
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The strategy focuses on five pillars, including climate action, and a long-term goal to eliminate the discharge of hazardous chemicals, preventing wastewater and air pollution, and enabling the recovery of water and chemistry across the supply chain.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Beyond the broader ecological catastrophes that await us, wildfires harm people with smoke that can travel hundreds of kilometers from the source fire, poisoning people with small particles and a portfolio of toxins.—
Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
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In the mid-1890s, her former landlords Israel and Lovey Dunham died after sudden illnesses; Toppan later acknowledged poisoning them, according to Boston Magazine.—
Christina Coulter,
People.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Flowers are typically pale blue to lavender, darkening along the midrib and toward the tip of each petal.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
24 Aug. 2025
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Check the butter for signs of spoiling, including darkening, a foul odor, and/or a sour taste.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Enter this darling Dutch oven—it’s constructed with long-lasting cast-iron and finished with a triple-layer enamel coating that prevents chipping, fading, cracking, and staining with use.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
3 Sep. 2025
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After victims were taken inside the hospital, photos taken by an employee of the Gaza Ministry of Health show blood staining multiple floors of the stairwell.—
Gianluca Mezzofiore,
CNN Money,
27 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tarnishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tarnishing. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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