tarnish

verbCommon GRE wordMore T words

to dull or damage the luster, reputation, or purity of something

In a sentence

Tarnish in a sentence

Here is an example sentence showing tarnish in a sentence.

A single scandal tarnished a reputation he had spent decades building.

Synonyms

Antonyms

polishburnishenhance

Keep going

understood or implied without being openly stated

habitually reserved and uncommunicative in speech

only loosely relevant; diverging from the main point

perceptible by touch or concrete enough to be grasped

to twist together into a confused or knotted mass

equivalent in effect or value to something else

needlessly repeating an idea using different words

needless repetition of the same idea in different words

Common questions

Tarnish (verb) means to dull or damage the luster, reputation, or purity of something

Here is tarnish used in an example sentence: "A single scandal tarnished a reputation he had spent decades building."

Common synonyms for tarnish include sully, blemish, stain, besmirch.

Antonyms of tarnish include polish, burnish, enhance.

Tarnish is a GRE-level vocabulary word worth knowing for the Verbal section.

Vocabulary sticks when you meet it in real sentences. Practise these words inside text completion and sentence equivalence questions.