blemish
/ˈblɛmɪʃ
/noun
1A small mark or flaw which spoils the appearance of something: the girl’s hands were without a blemish...
- Scratches, marks, dents, stains, blemishes or flaws are worth money to you, because they mean price reductions!
- A blemish even gives the appearance of a nail on the extended digit.
- Instead it has age marks, blemishes, and even a small spot or two with a brownish patina look.
Synonyms
imperfection, fault, flaw, defect, deformity, discoloration, disfigurement;
bruise, scar, pit, pockmark, pock, scratch, dent, chip, notch, nick, line, score, cut, incision, gash;
mark, streak, spot, fleck, dot, blot, stain, smear, patch, trace, speck, speckle, blotch, smudge, smut, smirch, fingermark, fingerprint, impression, imprint;
marking, blaze, stripe;
birthmark
informal splotch, splodge
technical stigma
1.1A moral defect or fault: the offences were an uncharacteristic blemish on an otherwise clean record [mass noun]: local government is not without blemish...
- So those air forces were allowed to continue to do things which it must be said in cold blood were a moral blemish, a moral blot perhaps on the conduct of the Allies.
- In addition, a government made up of officials who have moral blemishes can hardly establish authority in front of the public for obvious reasons.
- Celtic's easy, 5-1 victory at Parkhead in October was an uncharacteristic blemish on Kilmarnock's recent record in the fixture.
Synonyms
defect, fault, failing, flaw, imperfection, frailty, fallibility, foible, vice;
shortcoming, weakness, weak spot, weak point, deficiency, limitation;
blot, taint, stain, smirch, dishonour, disgrace
verb [with object] (often as adjective blemished)
Spoil the appearance or quality of (something): my main problem was a blemished skin his reign as world champion has been blemished by controversy...
- You have got to the age of 23 with no previous convictions and it is extremely sad that you have blemished your character.
- Bennett's excellent point scoring record was slightly blemished as he shot two wides from scorable positions and Clare began to pile on the pressure with another Markham point.
- I am an atheist in life and I won't choose to have my memory blemished by anyone taking the freedom to meddle with my choices in life, neither with my memory afterlife.
Synonyms
mar, spoil, impair, disfigure, blight, deface, flaw, mark, spot, speckle, blotch, discolour, scar;
ruin, destroy, wreck;
be a blot on the landscape
rare disfeature
sully, tarnish, besmirch, blacken, smirch, stain, blot, taint, soil, befoul, spoil, ruin, dirty, disgrace, mar, damage, defame, calumniate, injure, harm, hurt, undermine, debase, degrade, denigrate, dishonour, stigmatize
informal drag through the mud
rare vitiate
Origin
Late Middle English (as a verb): from Old French ble(s)miss-, lengthened stem of ble(s)mir 'make pale, injure'; probably of Germanic origin.