Standard Lemma guide

tarnish

noun · verb · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈtɑːnɪʃ/
  • General-American: /ˈtɑɹnɪʃ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)nɪʃ
  • CMU ARPABET: T AA1 R N IH0 SH Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Oxidation or discoloration, especially of a decorative metal exposed to air.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Examples

  • 1918, Hannah Teresa Rowley, Mrs. Helen Louise (Wales) Farrell, Principles of Chemistry Applied to the Household Precipitated calcium carbonate, a very fine powdery form, is used as a basis for many tooth powders and pastes. As whiting it finds a wide use in cleaning metals of their tarnishes.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To oxidize or discolor due to oxidation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Examples

  • Careful storage of silver will prevent it from tarnishing.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: oxidate, oxygenize

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To compromise, damage, soil, or sully.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • He is afraid that she will tarnish his reputation if he disagrees with her.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: befoul, inquinate, denigrate, blot, assoil, beclart, bedaub, bedirty, imbrue (especially with blood), bedizen, befile, befilth, begrime, beray, beshit, besmear, besmirch, besully, bewray, blacken, blur, clat, contaminate, darken, defile, dirten, dirty, elt, file, foil, foul, gunk, gunk up, scunge, sling mud, slotter, slur, smear, smirch, smudge, smut, smutch, soil, soss, sowl, spot, stain, sullow, sully, tarnish, uggle, assassinate, asperse, backbite, badmouth, belibel, blame, blaze, blemish, calumniate, calumny, chat shit, chat shite, cloud, defame, demonize, deprave, depreciate, detract, discredit, disgrace, disparage, disrepute, diss, drag through the mud, forgab, forspeak, infamize, lampoon, libel, malign, monsterize, muddy, reproach, revile, scandal, shit-talk, slag, slander, spatter, speak ill of, stab, talk shit, talk shite, talk trash, torch, traduce, trash-talk, unflatter, vilify, vilipend, villainize, wrong

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To lose its lustre or attraction; to become dull.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dull, dullen, leaden, pall

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To use a sign, image, expression, etc. sufficiently close to a trademarked one that it brings disrepute to it.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: copyright, intellectual-property, law

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

discoloration of metal surface caused by oxidation

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: stain, discoloration, discolouration

7

verb

Meaning 7

make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The silver was tarnished by the long exposure to the air
  • Her reputation was sullied after the affair with a married man

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: stain, maculate, sully, defile

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: spot, fleck, blob, blot

Narrower terms: darken

History

Etymology

From Middle English ternysshen, from Old French terniss-, stem of ternir (“to make dim, make wan”), borrowed from Old High German *ternen, tarnen, from Proto-West Germanic *darnijan (“to conceal”). Doublet of dern and darn.

Across languages

Translations

50 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: потъмняване (potǎmnjavane) — oxidation or discoloration, especially of a decorative metal exposed to air
  • Finnish: hapettuma — oxidation or discoloration, especially of a decorative metal exposed to air
  • Finnish: tummentuma — oxidation or discoloration, especially of a decorative metal exposed to air
  • German: Anlaufen — oxidation or discoloration, especially of a decorative metal exposed to air
  • German: Mattieren — oxidation or discoloration, especially of a decorative metal exposed to air
  • German: Beschlagen — oxidation or discoloration, especially of a decorative metal exposed to air
  • Polish: zaśniedzenie — oxidation or discoloration, especially of a decorative metal exposed to air
  • Portuguese: oxidação — oxidation or discoloration, especially of a decorative metal exposed to air
  • Russian: потускне́ние (potusknénije) — oxidation or discoloration, especially of a decorative metal exposed to air
  • Russian: окисле́ние (okislénije) — oxidation or discoloration, especially of a decorative metal exposed to air
  • Ottoman Turkish: پاس (pas) — oxidation or discoloration, especially of a decorative metal exposed to air
  • Ottoman Turkish: چرك (çirk) — oxidation or discoloration, especially of a decorative metal exposed to air
  • Bulgarian: потъмнявам (potǎmnjavam) — to oxidize or discolor due to oxidation
  • Finnish: hapettua — to oxidize or discolor due to oxidation
  • Finnish: tummua — to oxidize or discolor due to oxidation
  • French: ternir — to oxidize or discolor due to oxidation
  • German: anlaufen — to oxidize or discolor due to oxidation
  • German: matt werden — to oxidize or discolor due to oxidation
  • German: beschlagen — to oxidize or discolor due to oxidation
  • Polish: śniedzieć — to oxidize or discolor due to oxidation
  • Polish: zaśniedzieć — to oxidize or discolor due to oxidation
  • Portuguese: oxidar — to oxidize or discolor due to oxidation
  • Russian: тускне́ть (tusknétʹ) — to oxidize or discolor due to oxidation
  • Russian: де́лать ту́склым (délatʹ túsklym) — to oxidize or discolor due to oxidation
  • Azerbaijani: batırmaq — to compromise, damage, soil, or sully
  • Finnish: liata — to compromise, damage, soil, or sully
  • Finnish: tahria — to compromise, damage, soil, or sully
  • German: trüben — to compromise, damage, soil, or sully
  • German: beeinträchtigen — to compromise, damage, soil, or sully
  • German: beflecken — to compromise, damage, soil, or sully
  • German: besudeln — to compromise, damage, soil, or sully
  • German: beschmutzen — to compromise, damage, soil, or sully
  • Greek: αμαυρώνω (amavróno) — to compromise, damage, soil, or sully
  • Italian: infamare — to compromise, damage, soil, or sully
  • Italian: disonorare — to compromise, damage, soil, or sully
  • Polish: brukać — to compromise, damage, soil, or sully
  • Polish: zbrukać — to compromise, damage, soil, or sully
  • Portuguese: manchar — to compromise, damage, soil, or sully
  • Portuguese: ofuscar — to compromise, damage, soil, or sully
  • Russian: пятна́ть (pjatnátʹ) — to compromise, damage, soil, or sully
  • Russian: поро́чить (poróčitʹ) — to compromise, damage, soil, or sully
  • Slovak: pošpiniť — to compromise, damage, soil, or sully
  • Slovak: špiniť — to compromise, damage, soil, or sully
  • Slovak: poškodiť — to compromise, damage, soil, or sully
  • Slovak: poškodzovať — to compromise, damage, soil, or sully
  • Swedish: fläcka — to compromise, damage, soil, or sully
  • Swedish: skamfila — to compromise, damage, soil, or sully
  • Swedish: besudla — to compromise, damage, soil, or sully
  • Swedish: skada — to compromise, damage, soil, or sully
  • Ottoman Turkish: چامورلامق (çamurlamak) — to compromise, damage, soil, or sully