TARRED Synonyms: 59 Similar and Opposite Words

tarred

verb

past tense of tar

as in smeared

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tarred

Verb

Camille can still picture Burke standing over her, fake blood smeared across her dress.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026
There’s rarely anything as straightforward as a kick drum, a hi-hat, or even a bassline here; instead, everything is smeared, all origins occulted in a thicket of echoes and reflections.

— Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of smeared

Verb

Roma took one last lights-and-sirens ride with Keith that day, clutching his son’s red helmet, now soiled by debris.

— Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026
Well-loved and used items that are broken, damaged beyond repair, unsafe, or heavily stained or soiled should be thrown out.

— Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of soiled

Verb

Shortly after Palace’s next match had finished, a defeat by Everton on the opening weekend of the new season, his reputation among the supporters had been sullied again.

— Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Such shenanigans are more or less expected, and certainly haven’t forever sullied the American soccer fan base, at least here at home.

— Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 7 July 2026

Definition of sullied

Verb

Our state has thousands of sites already polluted with toxic chemicals and other pollutants, and those projects affect air quality, safe drinking water and community health for millions of Californians.

— Shannon Olivieri Hovis, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2026
Greenpeace Germany warned that oil has already polluted stretches of coastline and damaged the area's fragile ecosystem.

— Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of polluted

Verb

But in some recent years the revelries have been tarnished by shootings and stabbings.

— John Annese, New York Daily News, 7 Sep. 2026
In June, Marius Borg Høiby, 29, was sentenced to four years in prison after being found guilty of rape and domestic violence after a seven-week trial that further tarnished the family’s reputation.

— Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of tarnished

Verb

Inglessis applies liner near the lash line—easily smudged for a day-to-night look—while Baker, a huge mascara advocate, considers a single coat (if that) all that’s necessary.

— Calin Van Paris, InStyle, 4 Sep. 2026
The Bobbi Brown side had faded less and hadn’t smudged as much beneath my lower lash line, which is usually the first area to start running.

— Beth Sobol, Flow Space, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of smudged

Verb

But just the name alone, Abdul, some people are very tainted by the stereotypes.

— Sam Gringlas, NPR, 4 Sep. 2026
Attorneys could argue the jury pool is tainted or a new panel could similarly be subject to intimidation in Plymouth County if Clancy is tried there a second time.

— Lauren del Valle, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of tainted

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.

Browse Nearby Words

tarns

tarred

tarried

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Tarred.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tarred. Accessed 16 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of tarred

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

facsimile

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

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

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes