as in unpolished
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as in marred
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
a false accusation that nonetheless tarnished her reputation
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of tarnished
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
11 June 2026
From a low-security prison in California, the former Democratic megadonor has been seeking to reshape his tarnished image while making public declarations in support of the president.
—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
9 June 2026
The Golden State’s reputation for its business climate is a bit tarnished.
—
Doug McCauley,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026
Despite its tarnished early service history ‒ the two crashes combined killed 346 people ‒ the MAX has proven a capable plane.
—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
20 May 2026
The sprawling case, which has thousands of court filings, is a battle of salvaging tarnished reputations.
—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
28 Apr. 2026
Try The Polish Test Use a clean, soft cloth to rub the tarnished silver.
—
Lauren Wicks,
Southern Living,
15 Apr. 2026
Moonlight carved out his silhouette and sparked a tarnished reflection off the gun in his right hand.
—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
15 Apr. 2026
Things keep lining up against Microsoft , with all roads leading back to the company's tarnished standing as an artificial intelligence leader and how that could impact the company's Azure cloud growth.
—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
23 Mar. 2026
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 June 2026
The more college sports resemble pro sports, the greater the risk the unique character of college sports is tarnished.
—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
25 June 2026
His reputation was tarnished, however, by the global financial crisis which struck a decade later.
—
Scott Horsley,
NPR,
22 June 2026
New York — Kevin Warsh’s dream of becoming Federal Reserve chairman was nearly tarnished by the specter of having to confront simultaneous and conflicting challenges brewing in the US economy.
—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
16 June 2026
Owner-chairman Tony Bloom’s worldwide data bank has helped Brighton make some shrewd deals, but has their strong trading reputation been tarnished during the first two years of Hurzeler’s reign?
—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
15 June 2026
Throughout this process, innocent people had their reputations unfairly tarnished.
—
Janelle Ash , Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2026
Throughout this process, innocent people had their reputations unfairly tarnished.
—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
12 June 2026
Inevitably, Kreutzer’s film was tarnished by association and even withdrawn from cinemas.
—
Stephanie Bunbury,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
Adjective
As the New York Times reports, Gates is seemingly pulling out all the stops to rescue his tarnished brand, a fall from grace that’s putting his $89 billion global health fund, the Gates Foundation, in jeopardy.
—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
11 June 2026
From a low-security prison in California, the former Democratic megadonor has been seeking to reshape his tarnished image while making public declarations in support of the president.
—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
9 June 2026
The Golden State’s reputation for its business climate is a bit tarnished.
—
Doug McCauley,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026
Despite its tarnished early service history ‒ the two crashes combined killed 346 people ‒ the MAX has proven a capable plane.
—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
20 May 2026
The sprawling case, which has thousands of court filings, is a battle of salvaging tarnished reputations.
—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
28 Apr. 2026
Try The Polish Test Use a clean, soft cloth to rub the tarnished silver.
—
Lauren Wicks,
Southern Living,
15 Apr. 2026
Moonlight carved out his silhouette and sparked a tarnished reflection off the gun in his right hand.
—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
15 Apr. 2026
Things keep lining up against Microsoft , with all roads leading back to the company's tarnished standing as an artificial intelligence leader and how that could impact the company's Azure cloud growth.
—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
The opposition vastly outspent the proponents, but analysts also attributed the loss to the lack of voter trust in city government, where years of fiscal struggles and bad real estate transactions have tarnished City Hall’s image.
—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 June 2026
The more college sports resemble pro sports, the greater the risk the unique character of college sports is tarnished.
—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
25 June 2026
His reputation was tarnished, however, by the global financial crisis which struck a decade later.
—
Scott Horsley,
NPR,
22 June 2026
New York — Kevin Warsh’s dream of becoming Federal Reserve chairman was nearly tarnished by the specter of having to confront simultaneous and conflicting challenges brewing in the US economy.
—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
16 June 2026
Owner-chairman Tony Bloom’s worldwide data bank has helped Brighton make some shrewd deals, but has their strong trading reputation been tarnished during the first two years of Hurzeler’s reign?
—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
15 June 2026
Throughout this process, innocent people had their reputations unfairly tarnished.
—
Janelle Ash , Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2026
Throughout this process, innocent people had their reputations unfairly tarnished.
—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
12 June 2026
Inevitably, Kreutzer’s film was tarnished by association and even withdrawn from cinemas.
—
Stephanie Bunbury,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tarnished
Adjective
-
In terms of raw footballing skills, the right wing-back is still a bit unpolished and has a lot of developing to do.
-
Low-quality decor like plastic plants or cheap rugs can make a space feel cluttered and unpolished.
Verb
-
Already, reports of sparse crowds have marred the Freedom 250’s Great American State Fair on the National Mall, the Daily Beast said.
-
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's trip to the United Kingdom is already marred by drama after reports circulated that the visit was canceled due to security concerns.
Adjective
-
Keep It Clean An unkempt shower curtain can make your bathroom appear dingy.
-
But even the most stylish setup can be dulled by dingy concrete.
Verb
-
Murdaugh’s attorneys appealed the convictions, saying the trial was tainted by the county clerk Becky Hill’s inappropriate comments to jurors implying his guilt.
-
So these stories are going to get adjusted and tainted, or they’ll sometimes get distilled down to something more essential.
Adjective
-
To protect your sleep, keep the lights dim and the activity boring.
-
Topline If predictions come true, June 25 could see a dim star in the night sky suddenly brighten in a once-every-80-years event.
Verb
-
If your clothing is stained from fabric softener, rinse the spot in the warmest water recommended for the garment.
-
Semi-sheer, marbled accent nails look like they’ve been stained with blackberry juice.
Adjective
-
Despite the lackluster July start marked by a rotation into a new group of AI beneficiaries, all three stock measures were higher for the week.
-
Chatter about his lackluster advanced metrics dominated the NBA discourse for days.
Verb
-
The special bond between Supergirl and her scruffy animal sidekick becomes a key plot point in Kara’s new solo movie, where Krypto is poisoned by space outlaw Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts).
-
Kara Zor-El (Alcock) goes on a planet-hopping mission to save her beloved Krypto – with young and vengeful girl Ruthye (Eve Ridley) in tow – after he’s poisoned by the villainous Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts).
Cite this Entry
“Tarnished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tarnished. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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