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
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Recent Examples of tarnished
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
But Chavez’s legacy became increasingly tarnished as the years went on.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Among critics and in press circles, Wahlberg is a bit of a tarnished superstar after that petulant display, but audiences still love their Jack Dawson.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
Focus on tarnished areas, and be sure to be gentle.
—Jamie Cuccinelli, Martha Stewart, 23 Feb. 2026
Fyre Fraud explores the class-action lawsuits and tarnished reputations that followed, offering a commentary on the dominance of influencer culture and social media propaganda.
—Ilana Gordon, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Feb. 2026
Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 29 Apr. 2026
Not tarnished because of this conflict.
—Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 24 Apr. 2026
But the passage of time has also tarnished the late queen’s legacy.
—ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
The actress also denied making the complaint, claiming the allegations have tarnished her reputation for integrity and honesty and is seeking damages.
—Adam England, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
The squeaky-clean image of the Bachelor franchise has been tarnished, and its programming isn’t alone in becoming embroiled in headline-making drama.
—Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 16 Apr. 2026
The Factbook also likely served as a boost to the CIA's public image and put distance between it and other intelligence agencies tarnished by congressional investigations.
—CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
The Factbook also likely served as a boost to the CIA’s public image and put distance between it and other intelligence agencies tarnished by congressional investigations.
—Laurie Kellman, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
Some companies have discovered their innocent shenanigans failed to delight audiences and instead tarnished their brands.
—John Tufts, IndyStar, 1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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
But Chavez’s legacy became increasingly tarnished as the years went on.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Among critics and in press circles, Wahlberg is a bit of a tarnished superstar after that petulant display, but audiences still love their Jack Dawson.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
Focus on tarnished areas, and be sure to be gentle.
—Jamie Cuccinelli, Martha Stewart, 23 Feb. 2026
Fyre Fraud explores the class-action lawsuits and tarnished reputations that followed, offering a commentary on the dominance of influencer culture and social media propaganda.
—Ilana Gordon, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Feb. 2026
Verb
And a scandal that sees Runway fooled by (LOL) a fast fashion brand with sweatshop ties as tarnished the mag’s sterling reputation.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 29 Apr. 2026
Not tarnished because of this conflict.
—Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 24 Apr. 2026
But the passage of time has also tarnished the late queen’s legacy.
—ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
The actress also denied making the complaint, claiming the allegations have tarnished her reputation for integrity and honesty and is seeking damages.
—Adam England, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
The squeaky-clean image of the Bachelor franchise has been tarnished, and its programming isn’t alone in becoming embroiled in headline-making drama.
—Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 16 Apr. 2026
The Factbook also likely served as a boost to the CIA's public image and put distance between it and other intelligence agencies tarnished by congressional investigations.
—CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
The Factbook also likely served as a boost to the CIA’s public image and put distance between it and other intelligence agencies tarnished by congressional investigations.
—Laurie Kellman, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
Some companies have discovered their innocent shenanigans failed to delight audiences and instead tarnished their brands.
—John Tufts, IndyStar, 1 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tarnished
Adjective
-
The charm of these biographies, however, lies in their authenticity – the small spelling missteps and unpolished phrasing that reflect genuine middle school voices.—
Denise Crosby,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Sumter blends history, nature, and community spirit in a way that feels refreshingly unpolished.—
Abby Price,
Travel + Leisure,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The entire Mets lineup has been marred in an uncharacteristic slump, but in the bottom of the fourth inning on Tuesday night at Citi Field, Juan Soto uncorked a very characteristic home run.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The move comes after the spring-break-reminiscent event has been marred by tragedy and lawlessness in previous years.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Court exhibit But that, too, Casteleiro argued, was tainted.—
Mary Murphy,
CBS News,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The airline has been one of the most successful startups in aviation history, but its rapid growth has been tainted by several accidents and questions about the reliability of its aged fleet.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Look for bins that are not coated or stained with toxic finishes.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
30 Apr. 2026
-
On TikTok, short videos often show people traveling to Turkey to fix their uneven or stained teeth and transform their smiles.—
K.H. Koehler,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
That dingy look creeping across the screens and settling on every surface?—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Finally, dingy, discolored, or stringy towels need to get the heave-ho.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Who cares about the fact that her friend cheated when her child was poisoned by her husband and her father?—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Weinstein’s lawyers have argued that his New York conviction last year was poisoned by bad blood among jurors.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Among them was Anna Wintour, the dim lighting no match for her signature black shades.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
-
String lights, lanterns or solar path lights woven through your greenery completely change the mood after dark, highlighting leaf textures and turning the space into a garden retreat rather than a dim slab.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The bullpen spoiled a day when the Angels’ cold offense finally woke up.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
27 Apr. 2026
-
That spoiled what had been the Kings’ special-teams advantage in the series.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tarnished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tarnished. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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