tarnish — OET

tarnish

verb

1 gold does not tarnish easily:

become discoloured, discolour, stain, rust, oxidize, corrode, deteriorate;

become dull, lose its shine, lose its lustre.

▷antonyms brighten, polish.

2 detergents and scouring powder can tarnish metal:

dull, make dull, dim, discolour, stain, rust, oxidize, corrode.

▷antonyms brighten, polish.

3 he thought such rash actions would tarnish his reputation as a scholar:

sully, besmirch, blacken, smirch, stain, blemish, blot, taint, soil, befoul, spoil, ruin, dirty, disgrace, mar, damage, defame, calumniate, injure, harm, hurt, undermine, debase, degrade, denigrate, dishonour, stigmatize, vitiate, drag through the mud.

▷antonyms enhance.

noun

1 he was removing tarnish from the candlesticks:

discoloration, oxidation, rust, tarnishing, blackening, film, patina.

2 this won't overcome the tarnish on Alan's personal reputation:

smear, black mark, slur, stain, blemish, blot, taint, stigma, smirch, flaw.

tarnish Oxford Dictionary of English