as in stains
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 blackens
to make dirty
their clothes were smirched by dust from the trail
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in humiliates
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 smirches
Noun
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Snag it in black, white, green, blue, or maple or walnut wood stains in sizes ranging from 4 by 4 inches to 8 by 10 inches.—
Rachel Trujillo, PEOPLE, 11 Jan. 2026
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Additional Tips Avoid using hairspray to clean nail polish stains.—
Verb
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To show him who’s boss, Catherine turns around and buys Pac-North, humiliates him by closing it, and forces him back to Grey Sloan.—
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There’s always a moment in which somebody humiliates the villain and now all the love in him is gone.—
Verb
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The praiseworthyness of having both sides of the debate evaporates when the host actively discredits the expert and reflexively enhances the legitimacy of the conspiracy theorist.—
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Yet despite its popularity, research discredits this long-standing belief.—
Verb
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The eggs were fluffy, lacking any of the rubbery slop that besmirches lesser breakfast burritos.—
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This cynicism inevitably besmirches players, coaches, and referees who have no ties to gambling.—
Verb
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Somebody does something terrible and messes it up.—
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Cite this Entry
“Smirches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smirches. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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