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tarnish - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'tarnish' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Tarnish [ a.]
- To soil, or change the appearance of, especially by an alternation induced by the air, or by dust, or the like; to diminish, dull, or destroy the luster of; to sully; as, to tarnish a metal; to tarnish gilding; to tarnish the purity of color.
2 . Tarnish [ n.]
- The quality or state of being tarnished; stain; soil; blemish.
- A thin film on the surface of a metal, usually due to a slight alteration of the original color; as, the steel tarnish in columbite.
3 . Tarnish [ v. i.]
- To lose luster; to become dull; as, gilding will tarnish in a foul air.

Meaning of 'tarnish' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . tarnish [ v]
Meaning (1):
- make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically
Example in sentence:
  • Her reputation was sullied after the affair with a married man;
  • The silver was tarnished by the long exposure to the air

Nearby Words:

tar taranis tarantass tarantella tarantism tarantula tarantulae tarantulas tarantulated tarbogan

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