as in stain
a mark of guilt or disgrace
corruption charges that were a smirch on her reputation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smirch
Noun
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Join the 20,000 customers who recently bought the compact cleaning gadget to tackle stains, pet messes, and dirt on carpets and upholstery.—
Isabel Garcia,
People.com,
18 Apr. 2025 -
The Laundress makes a ton of other luxury laundry products, like a stain remover pretreatment, wool and cashmere spray, and a static-reducing fabric softener.—
Annie Blackman,
Allure,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Juicy, whole lobster served grilled or blackened is best, though the menu at this famous haunt features every possible elaboration of the dish.—
Carley Rojas Avila,
Travel + Leisure,
20 Apr. 2025
-
Photo : Andrew Pogue The compact kitchen sports blackened stainless-steel counters.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
16 Apr. 2025
Verb
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There was a period when Broadway creators thought the only way to get a performance was to humiliate a person.—
Mark Seliger,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 2025
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An investigation of at least eight fraternities found that members humiliated students through means like beating them with paddles or forcing potential recruits to eat live fish and drink urine, according to court filings.—
Dan Belson,
Baltimore Sun,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Catholicism offers ritual without the tedium of rationality; anarchism offers revolutionary action against inequality without the taint of materialism, the prospect of personal gain.—
Adam Gopnik,
The New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2025
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Driving the news: Researchers from Oregon State sent a bunch of Oregon pinot — some with smoke taint, some smoke-free — over to New Zealand for a taste test.—
Kale Williams,
Axios,
12 Feb. 2025
Verb
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For example, a small non-shedding dog that rarely goes outside won't dirty a bed nearly as fast as a large labarador that plays outside daily.—
Halee Miller Van Ryswyk,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 Apr. 2025
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Grease dirtied the handles of the ovens, the microwave ovens and the coolers.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
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His tariffs were not based on the import taxes charged by other countries but by the size of each trade deficit, a calculation that instantly discredited the policy with many economists and investors.—
Time,
Time,
10 Apr. 2025
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Bolsonaro’s efforts to discredit the election had already found allies abroad.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The ink blots of the past 20 years are dried all over Metal Gear Solid Delta.—
Ashley Bardhan,
Rolling Stone,
6 Feb. 2025
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How To Get Pen Out Of Clothes Pet Stains Remove any solids and blot wet areas with a paper towel.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
28 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Their reputations were besmirched.—
The Editors,
National Review,
17 Dec. 2024
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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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Cite this Entry
“Smirch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smirch. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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