as in stain
a mark of guilt or disgrace
corruption charges that were a smirch on her reputation
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to stain
to make dirty
their clothes were smirched by dust from the trail
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to humiliate
to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes
this scandal will forever smirch the name of a once-great family
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smirch
Noun
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Allow it to air-dry and repeat until the stain is gone.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
22 Jan. 2025 -
The dining table, dotted with water stains, remained.—
Michael Schulman,
The New Yorker,
20 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The charred footprint of the Eaton fire, which blackened more than 14,000 acres, is the most worrisome.—
Alene Tchekmedyian,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2025
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In one corner, fires from ancient rituals had left the limestone ceiling blackened by soot.—
Gina DeCaprio Vercesi,
Travel + Leisure,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
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My neighbor invited me to dinner, then humiliated me in front of the other women Miss Manners: Strangers keep telling me distressing stories.—
Judith Martin,
The Mercury News,
14 Jan. 2025
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The Ravens, particularly bruising runner Derrick Henry, humiliated the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night.—
Tim Graham,
The Athletic,
13 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Such stories also give permission to new forms, while protecting designs from too strong a taint of faddishness, or of strenuous icon-making.—
Ian Parker,
The New Yorker,
20 Jan. 2025
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While Weiss had rejected any taint of politics in his approach, the investigation was the subject of much congressional scrutiny.—
Rebecca Beitsch,
The Hill,
13 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Instead of dirtying a larger pot for your supporting dishes, this quaint cooker will come in handy for quick (or slower simmering) concoctions while matching your kitchen atmosphere.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 Jan. 2025
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Having dirtied himself in the catacombs beneath the papacy’s home, our scrappy archaeologist emerges into none other than a resplendent re-creation of the Sistine Chapel.—
Lewis Gordon,
Vulture,
18 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Beyond her work as a lobbyist, Bondi solidified her reputation as a Trump loyalist by defending him on the floor of the Senate during his first impeachment and helping his efforts to discredit the 2020 election results.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
15 Jan. 2025
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The AfD has strongly rejected the designation, portraying it as a political attempt to discredit the party.—
Vanessa Gera,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Unfair to ex-felons One of the worst blots on Bondi’s résumé was one of her first acts as attorney general.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
14 Jan. 2025
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Red Wine or Dark-Colored Food Stains As quickly as possible, lift away any solids and blot, blot, blot away the moisture.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
28 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Images illustrating the reality versus carefully edited Instagram selfies have somewhat besmirched Santorini’s romantic reputation of late.—
Helen Iatrou,
AFAR Media,
16 Dec. 2024
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There’s a new promo picture going around showing a Dusty Milligan with facial hair (see: above) — and listen, not to besmirch his infinity-pool jawline, but the dude looks so much better with that scruff.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
8 Nov. 2024
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Thesaurus Entries Near smirch
Cite this Entry
“Smirch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smirch. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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