tarnished 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of tarnishednext
as in unpolished

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

tarnished

2 of 2

verb

past tense of tarnish
as in marred
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable a false accusation that nonetheless tarnished her reputation

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tarnished
  1. unpolished
  2. marred
  3. tainted
  4. dingy
  5. poisoned
  6. dim
  7. lackluster
  8. drab
Adjective
  • And overall, many of the top-20-caliber players are unpolished prospects who will be drafted more for potential than production.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2025
  • As for the love story at the heart of things, real-life singer-songwriters Koerner and Varga, both making their movie debuts, inhabit their roles with unpolished sincerity, if not technical skill.
    — Joe Leydon, Variety, 25 Feb. 2025
Definition of unpolished
Verb
  • But others argue these budget controls are ensuring Connecticut won’t return to the 2010s, a decade marred by frequent annual deficits and some of the largest tax hikes in state history.
    — Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 4 Jan. 2025
  • The couple welcomed two children, True, 6, and Tatum, 2, but their romance was marred by Thompson's multiple cheating scandals.
    — Dan Perry, Newsweek, 4 Jan. 2025
Definition of marred
Verb
  • Amazon objected to the 2022 warehouse election results, alleging the Amazon Labor Union and the federal labor board had tainted the vote.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 23 Dec. 2024
  • Some see all Russians and their cultural heritage as irredeemably tainted by imperial thinking, a view heavily influenced by post-colonial studies in American academia.
    — Andrew Higgins, New York Times, 22 Dec. 2024
Definition of tainted
Adjective
  • Basketball was so unimportant and the school was so chintzy that the athletic director, who also was the head football coach, made Sloan pay $107 out of his own pocket to have carpet installed in his dingy office.
    — Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel, 20 Mar. 2025
  • Carved out of the ground floor of the airport’s parking garage, this space was a temporary replacement for the dingy, crowded, original domestic terminal built 34 years prior, which was not handicap-accessible and had an inadequate baggage facility and a troublesome security layout.
    — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 15 Mar. 2025
Definition of dingy
Verb
  • Drugs, success, and conflicting personalities had poisoned members’ relationships.
    — Aaron Gilbreath, SPIN, 31 Dec. 2024
  • The iconic American bird was almost wiped out in the 1960s due to the pesticide DDT, which poisoned the eagles and made their eggs weak and flimsy.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 28 Dec. 2024
Definition of poisoned
Adjective
  • The dim lighting, classic Sinatra-style big band music, and upscale vibe make this a prime date-night spot.
    — Jamie Graziano, Charlotte Observer, 14 Mar. 2025
  • One problem: protagonists in satires have usually had to survive dim openings before becoming cult movies.
    — Peter Bart, Deadline, 13 Mar. 2025
Definition of dim
Adjective
  • The draft should be the spot to fixate on at this point, even if the Panthers’ recent returns from drafting wideouts is on par with Marvel’s latest cluster of lackluster movies.
    — Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 19 Mar. 2025
  • Canada improved to fifth overall, just a point behind the Season 4 champions from Spain, who had a lackluster weekend.
    — Andrew Rice, The Athletic, 17 Mar. 2025
Definition of lackluster
Adjective
  • Early mammals were small, strictly nocturnal, and altogether less showy–verging on downright drab, as supported by a study published March 13 in the journal Science.
    — Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 13 Mar. 2025
  • Best metallic kitten heels Outfit looking a little drab?
    — Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 4 Mar. 2025
Definition of drab
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.

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“Tarnished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tarnished. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

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