blemish
Americanverb (used with object)
-
blemishes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
blemished,
past participle, past
-
blemishing
present participle
noun
verb
Synonym Usage
See defect.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
blemishsimple
-
blemishessimple
-
have blemishedperfect
-
has blemishedperfect
-
am blemishingprogressive
-
are blemishingprogressive
-
is blemishingprogressive
-
have been blemishingperfect progressive
-
has been blemishingperfect progressive
Past
-
blemishedsimple
-
had blemishedperfect
-
was blemishingprogressive
-
were blemishingprogressive
-
had been blemishingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of blemish
1275–1325; Middle English (v.) < Anglo-French, Middle French blemiss-, long stem of ble ( s ) mir to make livid, perhaps < Old Low Franconian *blesmjan; see blaze 2
Explanation
A blemish is a small flaw. If you borrow your brother's brand new bicycle, you'd better be careful — what might seem like the tiniest blemish to you might be a horribly ruined paint job to him. The classic example of a blemish is a pimple or other mark on your skin, but you can call any small defect a blemish — like a worm hole in an apple or a scrape on the side of your car. A flaw or fault in your personality or morals can also be called a blemish. You might say that the one time your dog accidentally nipped you is the only blemish on his reputation as a sweet, gentle pet.
Vocabulary lists containing blemish
"The Landlady" by Roald Dahl
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List 6
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "B"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
His blemish was missing out on the really big score that would have made it impossible for the selectors to leave him out when Bethell returns.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
And in a culture so hellbent on idol worship and exhausting discourse, where every blemish is smoothed out or screamed at, “SNL” still offers us something scrappy and unvarnished.
From Salon ● Apr. 19, 2026
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index was a blemish, closing the day 1.8% lower.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 24, 2026
The only blemish is a silver medal finish at the Grand Prix Final.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2026
That strange little blemish in one of his eyes, a ripple in an otherwise ocean-blue iris.
From "Legend" by Marie Lu
More than 3,200 pistons distort two flexible mirrors with near atomic-scale precision to account for blemishes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
France's only blemishes were moments of overplaying, which was hardly surprising for a team that was flying and enjoying themselves.
From Barron's ● Feb. 5, 2026
Coating cools while dripping from an arm, smiles askew send mixed signals, smeared eyes like they’d been up late partying with the tarts, blemishes, cracked sugary skin.
From Salon ● Feb. 5, 2026
But the record of 85-year-old Mutharika has its own blemishes, from corruption allegations to the debacle that ended his first presidency.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2025
Visible blemishes on the surface of the Sun seemed to be yet another nail in the coffin of Aristotelian heavenly perfection.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
Karen fights inflation by traveling during off-peak weekdays, making her own yogurt, and foraging for free, blemished produce.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
That record is blemished by his removal from an assignment based on his Francis-like tendencies, which may have had a hand in his failure to rise above the lowest of the U.S.
From Slate ● Apr. 13, 2026
We’ve developed creative ways to mitigate waste, finding secondary uses for produce that’s past its prime—whether bent, broken, bruised, blemished, or overly ripe.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2024
The two hour and 15 minute show, blemished only by some occasionally muddy sound, touched on mortality a number of times.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 18, 2024
“This carpet is made of fine hand-woven unicorn hair—shed not shaven—and it will not be blemished by the likes of you!”
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
The ruckus is blemishing what had been a successful period for Ukraine’s military, which has stopped some Russian advances and even regained a bit of territory over recent months.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Senate when she died, and questions about her mental capacity shadowed her final years in office, blemishing her reputation and forcing her to repeatedly fend off calls to resign.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2023
He hasn’t lost in 16 fights since dropping a majority decision to Floyd Mayweather in 2013, with only a draw against Gennady Golovkin blemishing his record.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 6, 2021
Washington got one Tuesday night when it toppled the Golden State Warriors, 112-108, blemishing the record of the best team in basketball.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 28, 2017
Milton did attempt the demagogue in his pamphlets, only with the result of blemishing his fame and degrading his genius.
From Milton by Mark Pattison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
