tarnish

(tär'nĭsh)

v., -nished, -nish·ing, -nish·es.

v.tr.

1. To dull the luster of; discolor, especially by exposure to air or dirt.
2. 1. To detract from or spoil; taint: a tragedy that tarnished our hopes.
   2. To cast aspersions on; sully: slander that tarnished the senator's image.

v.intr.

1. To lose luster; become discolored.
2. To diminish or become tainted.

n.

1. The condition of being tarnished.
2. Discoloration of a metal surface caused by corrosion or oxidation.
3. The condition of being sullied or tainted.

[Middle English ternisshen, from Old French ternir, terniss-, to dull, from terne, dull, of Germanic origin.]

tarnishable tar'nish·a·ble adj.

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verb

1. To spoil the soundness or perfection of: blemish, damage, detract from, disserve, flaw, harm, hurt, impair, injure, mar, prejudice, vitiate. See better/worse, help/harm/harmless.
2. To contaminate the reputation of: befoul, besmear, besmirch, bespatter, blacken, cloud, denigrate, dirty, smear, smudge, smut, soil, spatter, stain, sully, taint. Idioms: give a black eye to, slingthrowmud on. See attack/defend, clean/dirty.

noun

A mark of discredit or disgrace: black eye, blemish, blot, onus, spot, stain, stigma, taint. Archaic attaint. Idioms: a blot on one's escutcheon. See marks, respect/contempt/standing.

v

Definition: dirty, corrupt
Antonyms: clean, fix, polish, uncorrupt

An oxide layer on a metal surface that causes it to dull, often discoloring it.

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IN BRIEF: To dull, stain, or discolor.

Existing in the reputation a person has regardless of his or her accomplishments, fame does not tarnish as honor does when it is unmerited. — Mortimer J. Adler, U.S. philosopher, educator.

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n

1. surface discoloration or loss of luster by metals. Under oral conditions, it often results from hard and soft deposits. 2. a chemical process by which a metal surface is discolored or its luster destroyed.

For a list of words related to tarnish, see:

• Blame, Censure, Ridicule, and Contempt - tarnish: (vb) bring disgrace on; sully

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See words rhyming with "tarnish."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Tarnish.

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Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - mattere, gøre anløben, plette, besmudse
v. intr. - blive mat, blive anløben
n. - mat, glansløshed, anløbethed

Nederlands (Dutch)
dof maken of worden, bezoedelen

Français (French)
v. tr. - (lit, fig) ternir
v. intr. - (lit, fig) se ternir
n. - (lit, fig) ternissure

Deutsch (German)
v. - anlaufen, matt od. trübe werden, beschmutzen, trüben
n. - Anlaufen, Trübung

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - αμαυρώνω, θαμπώνω, σκοτεινιάζω, ξεθωριάζω, κηλιδώνω, σπιλώνω
n. - αμαύρωση, θαμπάδα, πατίνα

Italiano (Italian)
appannarsi, infangare

Português (Portuguese)
v. - deslustrar, manchar, sujar
n. - deslustre (m), mancha (f)

Русский (Russian)
тусклость, тусклая плоскость, (фигур.) запятнать (репутацию)

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - deslustrar, empañar, manchar, descolorar
v. intr. - deslustrarse, empañarse, mancharse, descolorarse
n. - deslustre, empañadura, mancha

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - fläcka, göra matt, missfärga, mista sin glans, bli skamfilad, skadas
n. - glanslöshet, matthet, missfärgning, fläck

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
使失去光泽, 玷污, 败坏, 失去光泽, 变灰暗, 蒙受耻辱, 被玷污, 晦暗, 污点

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 使失去光澤, 玷污, 敗壞
v. intr. - 失去光澤, 變灰暗, 蒙受恥辱, 被玷污
n. - 晦暗, 污點, 玷污

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 흐리게 하다, 녹슬게 하다
v. intr. - 흐려지다, 녹슬다
n. - 흐림, 녹, 오점

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 曇り, 錆び
v. - 曇らせる, 変色させる, 汚す

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يفقده بريقه أو لمعانه (الاسم) بقله زراعيه, لطخه القلقاس,‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮הכההלכלך, הכתים‬
v. intr. - ‮התעמם, כהה, פג זוהרו‬
n. - ‮כהות, עימום, הכהייה, כתם‬

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