as in to stain
to make dirty
she accidentally smudged her collar with the lipstick
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in stain
a mark of guilt or disgrace
the president's spouse must not have the slightest smudge of scandal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smudge
Mike Hanlon, New Atlas, 6 Mar. 2025
Where do the ashes smudged on worshipers' foreheads come from?
—Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2025
Michael Santoli, CNBC, 21 Jan. 2025
The thin, delicate skin of the under-eye can easily become dry and flaky, but too emollient of a texture can lead makeup to shift or smudge.
—Jessica Ourisman, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smudge
Verb
Older readers of this article may have learned to write in such a way (guilty yer honor) – dipping the nib of a pen into an inkwell, and scratching out the words, hoping to have sufficient ink to complete a word, without picking up too much ink and smudging your masterpiece.
—Mike Hanlon, New Atlas, 6 Mar. 2025
Where do the ashes smudged on worshipers' foreheads come from?
—Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2025
Noun
That’s indistinguishable from the 13.5% yearly gain the index has put up for the past ten years and within a smudge of the 15-year pace of 13.8%.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 21 Jan. 2025
The thin, delicate skin of the under-eye can easily become dry and flaky, but too emollient of a texture can lead makeup to shift or smudge.
—Jessica Ourisman, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smudge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smudge
Verb
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Its players are turncoats whose legacies are forever stained.—
Greg Cote,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2025
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Be careful and don’t use it every wash because these products can stain your hair with a pink or lavender tint.—
Jennifer Hussein,
Allure,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Catholicism offers ritual without the tedium of rationality; anarchism offers revolutionary action against inequality without the taint of materialism, the prospect of personal gain.—
Adam Gopnik,
The New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2025
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Driving the news: Researchers from Oregon State sent a bunch of Oregon pinot — some with smoke taint, some smoke-free — over to New Zealand for a taste test.—
Kale Williams,
Axios,
12 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Grease dirtied the handles of the ovens, the microwave ovens and the coolers.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
14 Feb. 2025
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Instead of dirtying a larger pot for your supporting dishes, this quaint cooker will come in handy for quick (or slower simmering) concoctions while matching your kitchen atmosphere.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 Jan. 2025
Noun
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People have long claimed to see images in those drip paintings, but the phenomenon is usually dismissed by art critics as a trick of human perception, much like the fractal edges of Rorschach ink blots can fool the eye and mind.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
28 Feb. 2025
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Even in victory, there had to be a blot in the Leeds copybook.—
Beren Cross,
The Athletic,
16 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Unlike a total solar eclipse, when the disk of the sun is completely blackened, an eclipsed moon does not vanish completely from the sky.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
TIME,
11 Mar. 2025
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But the negro resents and utterly repudiates the effort to blacken his good name by asserting that assaults upon women are peculiar to his race.—
Liz Tracey,
JSTOR Daily,
21 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smudge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smudge. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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