blemish

1 of 2

verb

blem·​ish ˈble-mish 

blemished; blemishing; blemishes

transitive verb

: to spoil by a flaw

blemish

2 of 2

noun

: a noticeable imperfection

especially : one that seriously impairs appearance

Synonyms

Verb

• darken
• mar
• poison
• spoil
• stain
• taint
• tarnish
• touch
• vitiate

Noun

• blight
• blotch
• defect
• deformity
• disfigurement
• excrescence
• excrescency
• fault
• flaw
• imperfection
• mar
• mark
• pockmark
• scar

Examples of blemish in a Sentence

Verb

A series of burn marks blemish the table's surface.

The incident blemished his reputation.

Noun

The cream is supposed to prevent blemishes on the skin.

The table had a few scratches and minor blemishes.

The book fails to mention any of the organization's many blemishes.

The incident was a blemish on his record.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

When blooms do open, petals are blemished, with silvery-white or brown edges. —Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2025

Results have been strong since last summer, with only a draw at Wembley against England and a defeat against Japan in the SheBelieves Cup blemishing Hayes’ U.S. record. —Jeff Rueter, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025

Noun

The bottom line was a blemish on the quarterly numbers. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 25 Apr. 2025

Despite a few blemishes on the canvas, this is as picture perfect as an RPG can be. —George Yang, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English blemisshen, to damage, injure, sully, from Anglo-French blemiss-, stem of blemir, blesmir, from Old French, literally, to make pale by wounding, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German blasros horse with a blaze, Old Norse blesi blaze — more at blaze

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1535, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for blemish

• flemish

Kids Definition

blemish

noun

blem·​ish

ˈblem-ish

: a mark that makes something imperfect

blemish verb

Medical Definition

blemish

noun

blem·​ish ˈblem-ish 

: a mark of physical deformity or injury: as

a

: any small mark on the skin (as a pimple or birthmark)

blemishes symptomatic of acne

b

: a defect of an animal (as a horse) that detracts from its appearance but does not interfere with its usefulness