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

In 2012 an angler pulled a brown bullhead out of a lake on the Vermont-Quebec border with what looked like tar smeared across its skin.

— John Drake, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
The women went to the bathroom to mop the bottoms of their eyes, where their makeup was smeared from crying.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026

Definition of smeared

Verb

Sacramento argued in court that most of her items were soiled and therefore garbage.

— Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 8 July 2026
The establishment remained closed after a reinspection, during which health inspectors observed unresolved violations including food stored at unsafe temperatures, multiple flies in the kitchen, soiled flooring under cooking equipment among others.

— Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 June 2026

Definition of soiled

Verb

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
Soap invited its viewers to take jabs at the genre in a time when the soap opera’s reputation had already been sullied in the American mind.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 May 2026

Definition of sullied

Verb

The same river that was savagely polluted by the mining industry, devastating the ancestral oasis of Quillagua.

— Cristina Dorador, The Dial, 14 July 2026
But stars aren’t the only things that fail to show up when the sky is polluted with light; fireflies, those flashing, nostalgic symbols of summer, often skip the party too.

— Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 1 July 2026

Definition of polluted

Verb

The Pentagon's inadequate communication has tarnished trust and credibility among the American public, Congress and crucial regional allies who are facing Iranian attacks, three former military officials tell Lawrence.

— Brittney Melton, NPR, 21 July 2026
Jingye Group said in a WeChat statement that the nationalization move tarnished the credibility of the British government, spooked international investors and caused great losses to the company’s operation and British taxpayers’ funds.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026

Definition of tarnished

Verb

It was blackened, charred, the conductor that had drawn the single precise punch of lightning.

— Brian Truitt, USA Today, 27 July 2026
Elephant Fire The Elephant Fire, burning since July 11 in the Tahoe National Forest, has blackened nearly 14,000 acres in Sierra, Plumas and Lassen counties, and is 92% contained.

— Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 21 July 2026

Definition of blackened

Verb

The color was also gently smudged below her lower lashes, winging ever so faintly upward at the outer corner.

— Marci Robin, Allure, 20 July 2026
Loose waves and smudged eye makeup, sharpened with pink at the inner corners, kept the effect closer to one of her stage looks.

— Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 3 July 2026

Definition of smudged

Verb

More than two dozen California Democrats are confronting the FCC over its rare early review of Disney’s ABC station licenses, calling the process ideologically tainted and aimed at punishing critical media coverage.

— Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2026
Why must everything be tainted by the overinflated ego of Cankles Muldoon?

— Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 21 July 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 30 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of tarred

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on tarred

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

sultry

Popular in Grammar & Usage

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

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

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly

Popular in Wordplay

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes