TARNISH: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for TARNISH?

Need another word that means the same as “tarnish”? Find 58 synonyms and 30 related words for “tarnish” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Tarnish” are: defile, maculate, stain, sully, become discoloured, discolour, rust, oxidize, corrode, deteriorate, dull, make dull, dim, blacken, make black, besmirch, smirch, blemish, blot, taint, soil, befoul, spoil, ruin, dirty, disgrace, mar, damage, defame, calumniate, injure, harm, hurt, undermine, debase, degrade, denigrate, dishonour, stigmatize, vitiate, drag through the mud, discoloration, oxidation, tarnishing, blackening, film, patina, smear, black mark, slur, stigma, flaw

Tarnish as a Noun

Definitions of "Tarnish" as a noun

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “tarnish” as a noun can have the following definitions:

• A film or stain formed on an exposed surface of a mineral or metal.
• Damage or harm done to something.
• Dullness of colour; loss of brightness.
• Discoloration of metal surface caused by oxidation.

Synonyms of "Tarnish" as a noun (17 Words)

black mark	Black clothing (worn as a sign of mourning.
blackening	Changing to a darker color.
blemish	A moral defect or fault. The girl s hands were without a blemish.
blot	A shameful act or quality that damages an otherwise good character or reputation. He made a huge blot on his copybook.
discoloration	The act of changing the natural color of something by making it duller or dingier or unnatural or faded. Teeth with amalgam fillings may run the risk of discoloration.
film	A story or event recorded by a camera as a set of moving images and shown in a cinema or on television. A new range of films and cameras.
flaw	Defect or weakness in a person’s character. He had his flaws but he was great nonetheless.
oxidation	The process of oxidizing; the addition of oxygen to a compound with a loss of electrons; always occurs accompanied by reduction.
patina	The impression or appearance of something. A patina of good breeding.
rust	A plant disease that produces a reddish brown discoloration of leaves and stems caused by various rust fungi. The MPs are here to scrape the rust off the derelict machinery of government.
slur	An act of speaking indistinctly so that sounds or words run into one another or a tendency to speak in such a way. The comments were a slur on staff at the hospital.
smear	A false accusation intended to damage someone’s reputation. Soon you re eyeballing the top just one smear away.
smirch	An act that brings discredit to the person who does it.
stain	The state of being covered with unclean things. There were mud stains on my shoes.
stigma	The apical end of the style where deposited pollen enters the pistil. The stigma of having gone to prison will always be with me.
taint	Something with a contaminating influence or effect. The taint of corruption which adhered to the government.
tarnishing	Discoloration of metal surface caused by oxidation.

Usage Examples of "Tarnish" as a noun

• The tarnish on Alan's personal reputation.
• He was removing tarnish from the candlesticks.

Tarnish as a Verb

Definitions of "Tarnish" as a verb

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “tarnish” as a verb can have the following definitions:

• Make or become less valuable or respected.
• Make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically.
• Lose or cause to lose lustre, especially as a result of exposure to air or moisture.

Synonyms of "Tarnish" as a verb (41 Words)

become discoloured	Enter or assume a certain state or condition.
befoul	Make dirty; pollute. The dangers of letting industry befoul the environment.
besmirch	Damage (someone’s reputation. The ground was besmirched with blood.
blacken	Make or become black. Paras in full combat gear with blackened faces.
blemish	Add a flaw or blemish to make imperfect or defective. His reign as world champion has been blemished by controversy.
blot	Transfer by means of a blot. A dust shield blotting out the sun.
calumniate	Charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone. He has been calumniating the Crown and all the conservative decencies.
corrode	Cause to deteriorate due to the action of water, air, or an acid. The acid corroded the metal.
damage	Inflict damage upon. The car was badly damaged in the accident.
debase	Corrupt debase or make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance often by replacing valuable ingredients with inferior ones. War debases people.
defame	Charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone. He claimed that the article defamed his family.
defile	Rape or sexually assault (a woman. The tomb had been defiled and looted.
degrade	Lower the quality of; cause to deteriorate. He was degraded from his high estate.
denigrate	Criticize unfairly; disparage. Doom and gloom merchants who denigrate their own country.
deteriorate	Grow worse. If the situation continues to deteriorate the consequences could be severe.
dim	Make dim by comparison or conceal. A smoky inferno that dimmed the sun.
discolour	Change or cause to change to a different, less attractive colour. Too much aluminium can discolour water.
disgrace	Bring shame or discredit on. He has been publicly disgraced for offences for which he was not guilty.
dishonour	Refuse to accept or pay (a cheque or a bill of exchange. She was now unworthy of his notice having been dishonoured by Casim.
drag through the mud	Draw slowly or heavily.
dull	Become dull or lusterless in appearance lose shine or brightness. Too much cutting dulls the knife s edge.
harm	Cause or do harm to. These pills won t harm your system.
hurt	Hurt the feelings of. Our business was hurt by the new competition.
injure	Cause damage or affect negatively. He injured his back helping the girl.
maculate	Spot, stain, or pollute. A dirty white T shirt maculated with barbecue sauce.
make black	Achieve a point or goal.
make dull	Favor the development of.
mar	Destroy or injure severely. Nothing marred her beauty.
oxidize	Combine chemically with oxygen. This metal oxidizes easily.
ruin	Fall into ruin. You have ruined my car by pouring sugar in the tank.
rust	Be affected with rust. The pipes rusted.
smirch	Make (something) dirty; soil. I am not accustomed to having my honour smirched.
soil	Make soiled filthy or dirty. Don t soil your clothes when you play outside.
spoil	Be extremely or aggressively eager for. The enemy entered into Hereford spoiled and fired the city and razed the walls to the ground.
stain	Produce or leave stains. Wood can always be stained to a darker shade.
stigmatize	Mark with stigmata. The institution was stigmatized as a last resort for the destitute.
sully	Place under suspicion or cast doubt upon. She wondered if she dared sully the gleaming sink.
taint	Affect with a bad or undesirable quality. The air was tainted by fumes from the cars.
undermine	Erode the base or foundation of (a rock formation. This could undermine years of hard work.
vitiate	Take away the legal force of or render ineffective. Development programmes have been vitiated by the rise in population.

Usage Examples of "Tarnish" as a verb

• His regime had not been tarnished by human rights abuses.
• The silver was tarnished by the long exposure to the air.
• Lemon juice would tarnish the gilded metal.
• Silver tarnishes too easily.

Associations of "Tarnish" (30 Words)

adulteration	The act of adulterating (especially the illicit substitution of one substance for another. The adulteration of culture.
besmirch	Damage (someone’s reputation. The ground was besmirched with blood.
blot	Transfer by means of a blot. Mary dug her brush into black paint and blotted out her picture.
committed	Pledged or bound to a certain course or policy; dedicated. Esther has a committed boyfriend.
contaminate	Make (something) impure by exposure to or addition of a poisonous or polluting substance. Don t drink the water it s contaminated.
contaminated	Having been made impure by exposure to or addition of a poisonous or polluting substance. Had to boil the contaminated water.
contamination	The act of contaminating or polluting; including (either intentionally or accidentally) unwanted substances or factors. The contamination of his morals.
corrupt	Corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality. Socrates was accused of corrupting young men.
daub	Material used to daub walls. Daub the ceiling with plaster.
debasement	Being mixed with extraneous material; the product of adulterating. The outcome is rot and debasement of the system.
defamation	A false accusation of an offense or a malicious misrepresentation of someone’s words or actions. She sued him for defamation.
defame	Charge falsely or with malicious intent. The journalists have defamed me.
defile	Desecrate or profane (something sacred. The townspeople defiled the river by emptying raw sewage into it.
defiled	Morally blemished; stained or impure.
denigrate	Charge falsely or with malicious intent. Doom and gloom merchants who denigrate their own country.
environmental	Concerned with the ecological effects of altering the environment. Acid rain may have caused major environmental damage.
infect	Contaminate with a disease or microorganism. Viruses have infected computer networks.
maculate	Spotted or stained. A dirty white T shirt maculated with barbecue sauce.
maliciously	With malice; in a malicious manner. Proof that the defendant acted maliciously.
pollute	Defile or corrupt. A society polluted by greed.
pollution	The presence in or introduction into the environment of a substance which has harmful or poisonous effects. The level of pollution in the air is rising.
sicken	Get sick. This kind of food sickens me.
slur	Of words or speech be slurred. He was slurring his words like a drunk.
smirch	A blemish made by dirt. The window was smirched by heat and smoke.
smudge	Make a smudge on soil by smudging. She dabbed her eyes careful not to smudge her make up.
spot	Mark with a spot or spots so as to allow easy recognition. His bald spot.
stain	Be marked or be liable to be marked with a stain. He regarded his time in gaol as a stain on his character.
sully	Make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically. Sully someone s reputation.
taint	(of food or water) become contaminated or polluted. The rennet should be soaked in water containing sufficient salt to keep it from tainting.