tarnish
verb (used with object)
to dull the luster of (a metallic surface), especially by oxidation; discolor.
tarnished
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past participleof tarnish.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof tarnish.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
tarnishverb (used with object)to dull the luster of (a metallic surface), especially by oxidation; discolor.
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.
The trial had not tarnished his marketability, nor, seemingly, had it checked his behavior.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Even in its tarnished state, silver is breathtaking.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 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
"It was just a lovely wholesome time of Cambridge sightseeing and pubs, and now it is tarnished by these bedbug bites," she said.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
It is heavier than he had expected, a complicated mechanism of gears partially encased in worn and tarnished silver, with symbols he cannot distinguish etched into the surface.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
