tarnish
Americanverb (used with object)
-
tarnishes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
tarnished,
past participle, past
-
tarnishing
present participle
verb (used without object)
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tarnishes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
tarnished,
past participle, past
-
tarnishing
present participle
-
to grow dull or discolored; lose luster.
-
to become sullied.
noun
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a tarnished coating.
-
tarnished condition; discoloration; alteration of the luster of a metal.
-
a stain or blemish.
verb
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to lose or cause to lose the shine, esp by exposure to air or moisture resulting in surface oxidation; discolour
silver tarnishes quickly
-
to stain or become stained; taint or spoil
a fraud that tarnished his reputation
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
tarnishernoun
-
antitarnishadjective
-
antitarnishingadjective
-
nontarnishableadjective
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nontarnishedadjective
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nontarnishingadjective
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tarnishableadjective
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untarnishableadjective
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untarnishedadjective
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untarnishingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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tarnishsimple
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tarnishessimple
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have tarnishedperfect
-
has tarnishedperfect
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am tarnishingprogressive
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are tarnishingprogressive
-
is tarnishingprogressive
-
have been tarnishingperfect progressive
-
has been tarnishingperfect progressive
Past
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tarnishedsimple
-
had tarnishedperfect
-
was tarnishingprogressive
-
were tarnishingprogressive
-
had been tarnishingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of tarnish
1590–1600; < Middle French terniss-, long stem of ternir to dull, deaden, derivative of terne dull, wan < Germanic; compare Old High German tarni, cognate with Old Saxon derni, Old English dierne hidden, obscure; see -ish 2
Explanation
To tarnish is to become dull or discolored. Silver tends to tarnish easily, which is why your mother is always having you polish the family silver. As a noun, a tarnish is the dull layer of corrosion that sometimes forms on metal items, usually the result of the metal reacting to oxygen in the air. Metals are most likely to tarnish, but so can anything that once felt sparkly and bright but has lost its luster — even you. If the new kid just beat you in chess, your reputation as the best chess player in your class has started to tarnish. Better not lose again!
Vocabulary lists containing tarnish
List 3
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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:
False charges of AI cheating can tarnish academic records or upend career prospects of students.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
Yet any tarnish to the U.S.’s standing could be fleeting.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 6, 2026
Like a pentimento, their brilliance began to gradually appear from beneath the tarnish, reflecting my face in their mirrored surfaces.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
CBS News, historically cautious about any endeavors that could tarnish its legacy as a journalism organization, was the last of the traditional networks to get into e-commerce in 2022 after COVID-19 lockdowns depressed ad revenues.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
“The hearts I tarnish with miserable ghosts? That’s good, Sarai. That’s really poetic.”
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
"Dubai was often talked about a bit like Switzerland, so this inevitably tarnishes that image."
From Barron's ● Mar. 1, 2026
“House of Diggs” is unsparing in its portrait of the corruption that tarnishes its subject’s memory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2025
"The SNP press office should retract this shameful attack which tarnishes the work both parties have done behind the scenes on this important issue."
From BBC ● Nov. 20, 2023
Eviction tarnishes a tenant’s record and makes it harder to find a new apartment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2023
The fair buildings were complete and all exhibits were in place, but just as surely as silver tarnishes, the fair became subject to the inevitable forces of degradation and decline—and tragedy.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
About 30,000 saw South Korea beat Japan 1-0 to clinch men's football gold, although the occasion was tarnished somewhat when the South Korean flag failed to go up in the victory ceremony.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
The trial had not tarnished his marketability, nor, seemingly, had it checked his behavior.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
It is a significant punishment, underlining how annoyed Fifa are at having their showpiece occasion, broadcast to an estimated 1.5bn people globally, tarnished by such awful scenes.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
I asked him if he’d seen the post Eatherly had made prior to the shooting about how his child’s mother wants to change her son’s surname because of how Chud had tarnished it.
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026
I pull out my silver sun pendant and stare down at it, rubbing a tarnished point.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
Gold has suffered a rough few months, tarnishing the bull case for the metal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Now, researchers at Tulane University have uncovered an important reason why the precious metal remains so resistant to tarnishing.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
Subtle localization—without tarnishing the brands’ global image—has been central to recent success, analysts told Barron’s.
From Barron's ● Mar. 7, 2026
However, the government has criticised their portrayal as aimed at tarnishing the country's image, insisting the country is safe.
From BBC ● Nov. 25, 2025
"Yes, if the rate of tarnishing doesn't increase."
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
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.
