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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
List 6
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
100 SAT Words Beginning with "B"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Rasmussen lasted through the seventh inning, leaving that home run as the only blemish on his outing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
One blemish on the chart was the failed breakout above the $133.47 cup-with-handle pivot on May 19.
From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026
While Topgolf left a blemish on the record of Callaway, the company is still a dominant player, with the No. 2 U.S. market share in both clubs and balls.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026
His only blemish remains a draw with Frazer Clarke, a result he emphatically avenged with a first-round stoppage.
From BBC ● May 8, 2026
My mother fretted over each blemish, sending accusatory glances in my foster mother’s direction.
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
Brilliant as Wales were against North Macedonia, the performance was not without its blemishes.
From BBC ● Mar. 26, 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
Some may question what the value is in looking at history through such a fine lens that it reveals its subjects’ blemishes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 12, 2025
It hid blemishes and, best of all, it hid me.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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
OK, the jewel does need some cleaning up, but it’s not that blemished.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2023
Who has time to look at tier 1 capital ratios when you’re urgently shifting your cash to a bank with a less blemished recent history?
From Washington Post ● Mar. 15, 2023
But it was not to be: His record was too blemished.
From Salon ● Jan. 7, 2023
Its face is full and round, skin blemished with craters, and white as milk.
From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day
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
But the defence, along with the team as a whole, improved markedly after half-time and never looked like blemishing only their second clean sheet of the season after the break.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2016
Also their philosophers that they call Gymnosophists stand in most hot gravel from the morning till evening, and behold the sun without blemishing of their eyes.
From Mediaeval Lore from Bartholomew Anglicus by Robert Steele
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.
