Tarnish — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

discoloration of metal surface caused by oxidation

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

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/tˈɑːɹnɪʃ/

🇬🇧British English

/tˈɑːnɪʃ/

🇮🇳Indian English

/tˈɑːnɪʃ/

2 syllables Say it as /tˈɑːɹnɪʃ/.

Examples

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

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

stain maculate defile sully

Parts of Speech

noun	discoloration of metal surface caused by oxidation
verb	make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically “The silver was tarnished by the long exposure to the air”

Word Forms

tarnish	verb	make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically
tarnish	noun	discoloration of metal surface caused by oxidation
stain	noun	a symbol of disgrace or infamy; --Genesis
macula	noun	a patch of skin that is discolored but not usually elevated; caused by various diseases
maculation	noun	the act of spotting or staining something

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

trüben

Verfärbung der Metalloberfläche durch Oxidation

🇫🇷French

ternir

décoloration de la surface métallique causée par l'oxydation

🇪🇸Spanish

deslustre

Decoloración de la superficie del metal causada por la oxidación.

🇮🇹Italian

appannarsi

scolorimento della superficie metallica causato dall'ossidazione

🇳🇱Dutch

aanslag

verkleuring van het metalen oppervlak veroorzaakt door oxidatie

🇵🇹Portuguese

manchar

descoloração da superfície do metal causada pela oxidação

🇷🇺Russian

запятнать

изменение цвета металлической поверхности, вызванное окислением

India

🇮🇳Hindi

कलंकित करना

ऑक्सीकरण के कारण धातु की सतह का मलिनकिरण

🇧🇩Bengali

কলঙ্কিত

জারণ দ্বারা সৃষ্ট ধাতব পৃষ্ঠের বিবর্ণতা

🇮🇳Tamil

களங்கப்படுத்து

ஆக்சிஜனேற்றத்தால் உலோக மேற்பரப்பு நிறமாற்றம்

🇮🇳Telugu

కళంకం

ఆక్సీకరణం వల్ల లోహపు ఉపరితలం యొక్క రంగు మారడం

🇮🇳Marathi

कलंकित करणे

ऑक्सिडेशनमुळे धातूच्या पृष्ठभागाची विकृती

🇮🇳Gujarati

કલંકિત

ઓક્સિડેશનને કારણે ધાતુની સપાટીનું વિકૃતિકરણ

🇮🇳Kannada

ಕಳಂಕ

ಆಕ್ಸಿಡೀಕರಣದಿಂದ ಉಂಟಾಗುವ ಲೋಹದ ಮೇಲ್ಮೈಯ ಬಣ್ಣಬಣ್ಣ

🇮🇳Malayalam

കളങ്കപ്പെടുത്തുക

ഓക്സീകരണം മൂലമുണ്ടാകുന്ന ലോഹ പ്രതലത്തിൻ്റെ നിറവ്യത്യാസം

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਖਰਾਬ

ਆਕਸੀਕਰਨ ਦੇ ਕਾਰਨ ਧਾਤ ਦੀ ਸਤਹ ਦਾ ਰੰਗੀਨ ਹੋਣਾ

🇵🇰Urdu

داغدار

آکسیکرن کی وجہ سے دھات کی سطح کی رنگت

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

玷污

金属表面因氧化而变色

🇯🇵Japanese

変色する

金属表面の酸化による変色

🇰🇷Korean

흐림

산화로 인한 금속 표면의 변색

🇻🇳Vietnamese

làm hoen ố

Sự đổi màu bề mặt kim loại do quá trình oxy hóa

🇹🇭Thai

ทำให้เสื่อมเสีย

การเปลี่ยนสีของพื้นผิวโลหะที่เกิดจากการเกิดออกซิเดชัน

🇮🇩Indonesian

menodai

perubahan warna permukaan logam akibat oksidasi

🇵🇭Filipino

madungisan

pagkawalan ng kulay ng ibabaw ng metal na sanhi ng oksihenasyon

🇲🇾Malay

menodai

perubahan warna permukaan logam yang disebabkan oleh pengoksidaan

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

تشويه

تغير لون سطح المعدن بسبب الأكسدة

🇮🇷Persian

لکه دار کردن

تغییر رنگ سطح فلز در اثر اکسیداسیون

🇹🇷Turkish

kararmak

oksidasyon nedeniyle metal yüzeyin renginin değişmesi

🇮🇱Hebrew

לְהַכתִים

שינוי צבע משטח המתכת הנגרם על ידי חמצון

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'tarnish'?

The primary meaning of 'tarnish' is 'discoloration of metal surface caused by oxidation'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'tarnish' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'tarnish' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'tarnish' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'tarnish' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

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