tarnish
Americanverb (used with object)
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.
verb
-
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
- antitarnish adjective
- antitarnishing adjective
- nontarnishable adjective
- nontarnished adjective
- nontarnishing adjective
- tarnishable adjective
- tarnisher noun
- untarnishable adjective
- untarnished adjective
- untarnishing adjective
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; -ish 2
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.
But U.S. firms proved reluctant due to the company’s tarnished reputation, in addition to Congo’s poor infrastructure, limited skilled labor, resource nationalism and reputation for government corruption.
While even reliable AI detectors can produce false results, researchers say a crop of fraudulent tools has emerged online, easily weaponized to discredit authentic content and tarnish reputations.
From Barron's
Newspaper reporting and books over the last 20 years had already tarnished the halo some affixed to Chávez after his death, Garcia said.
From Los Angeles Times
Shares of gold miners have been in the dumps this month, as investors have expressed fears over how the Iran war will tarnish the value of the precious metal.
From MarketWatch
“Super Micro is not named as a defendant in the indictment, but the incident will reflect poorly on a company with a tarnished history,” Raymond James’s Leopold wrote.
From Barron's
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.
