tarnish

[tahr-nish]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tarnish ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to dull the luster of (a metallic surface), especially by oxidation; discolor.

to diminish or destroy the purity of; stain; sully: The scandal tarnished his reputation.

verb (used without object)

to grow dull or discolored; lose luster.

to become sullied.

noun

a tarnished coating.

tarnished condition; discoloration; alteration of the luster of a metal.

a stain or blemish.

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 -ish²

Related formstar·nish·a·ble, adjectivean·ti·tar·nish, adjectivean·ti·tar·nish·ing, adjectivenon·tar·nish·a·ble, adjectivenon·tar·nished, adjectivenon·tar·nish·ing, adjectiveun·tar·nish·a·ble, adjectiveun·tar·nished, adjectiveun·tar·nish·ing, adjective

Synonyms for tarnish

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tarnish ON THESAURUS.COM

2. taint, blemish, soil.

Antonyms for tarnish

1. brighten.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for tarnish

sully, dim, harm, mar, pollute, smear, muddy, damage, defame, taint, impair, spoil, embarrass, stain, hurt, dull, tar, defile, befoul, blot

Examples from the Web for tarnish

Contemporary Examples of tarnish

He said Iran pays lobbyists in Washington to discredit reports by Iranian exiles and tarnish their image.
White House Debunks Iran Nuclear Explosion, But Iran Denies Planting Story
Dan Ephron
January 29, 2013
In response, Netanyahu said Olmert was trying to tarnish his administration ahead of parliamentary elections next week.
Explosive Allegations against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Dan Ephron
January 16, 2013
And using charges themselves false in order to tarnish his reputation?
A False Charge Against Fareed Zakaria (UPDATED)
David Frum
August 14, 2012
Banville may tarnish his hero a bit, particularly by tormenting him with alcohol.
Can Pulp Win the Booker?
Allen Barra
September 7, 2011

Historical Examples of tarnish

The moment anybody peers at you you show a tarnish, and get put off.
Love and Lucy
Maurice Henry Hewlett
Was there not gold enough in his hair before, that he should tarnish it with this crown?
Vera
Oscar Wilde
So many of us tarnish our victories by the manner in which we display them.
My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year
John Henry Jowett
Though the drops were salt, they would not tarnish the gold.
The Maidens' Lodge
Emily Sarah Holt
No one is trying to tarnish this person; no one has thought of it.
The $30,000 Bequest and Other Stories
Mark Twain

British Dictionary definitions for tarnish

tarnish

verb

to lose or cause to lose the shine, esp by exposure to air or moisture resulting in surface oxidation; discoloursilver tarnishes quickly

to stain or become stained; taint or spoila fraud that tarnished his reputation

noun

a tarnished condition, surface, or film

Derived Formstarnishable, adjectivetarnisher, noun

Word Origin for tarnish

C16: from Old French ternir to make dull, from terne lustreless, of Germanic origin; related to Old High German tarnen to conceal, Old English dierne hidden

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for tarnish

1590s, from present participle stem of Middle French ternir "dull the luster or brightness of, make dim" (15c.), probably from Old French terne (adj.) "dull, dark," from a Germanic source cognate with Old High German tarnjan "to conceal, hide," Old English dyrnan "to hide, darken," from Proto-Germanic *darnjaz (see dern). Figurative sense is from 1690s. Related: Tarnished; tarnishing.

1713, from tarnish (v.).