Blemish

• POS: Noun, Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: blem=ish

CIDE DICTIONARY

Blemish, v. t. [OE. blemissen, blemishen, OF. blemir, blesmir, to strike, injure, soil, F. blêmir to grow pale, fr. OF. bleme, blesme, pale, wan, F. blême, prob. fr. Icel blāman the livid color of a wound, fr. blār blue; akin to E. blue. OF. blemir properly signifies to beat one (black and) blue, and to render blue or dirty. See Blue.].

•  To mark with deformity; to injure or impair, as anything which is well formed, or excellent; to mar, or make defective, either the body or mind.  [1913 Webster]

  "Sin is a soil which blemisheth the beauty of thy soul."  [1913 Webster]
•  To tarnish, as reputation or character; to defame.  [1913 Webster]

  "There had nothing passed between us that might blemish reputation."  [1913 Webster]

Blemish, n. 

 Any mark of deformity or injury, whether physical or moral; anything that diminishes beauty, or renders imperfect that which is otherwise well formed; that which impairs reputation.  [1913 Webster]
"He shall take two he lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish."  [1913 Webster]
"The reliefs of an envious man are those little blemishes and imperfections that discover themselves in an illustrious character."  [1913 Webster]

Syn. -- Spot; speck; flaw; deformity; stain; defect; fault; taint; reproach; dishonor; imputation; disgrace.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Blemish, n. & v.
--n. a physical or moral defect; a stain; a flaw (not a blemish on his character).
--v.tr. spoil the beauty or perfection of; stain (spots blemished her complexion).

Etymology

ME f. OF ble(s)mir (-ISH(2)) make pale, prob. of Gmc orig.

THESAURUS

Blemish

abrade, abrasion, baboon, bag, bark, besmirch, birthmark, black sheep, blaze, blaze a trail, blister, bloody, blot, blotch, brand, break, bruise, bug, burn, caste mark, catch, chafe, chalk, chalk up, check, check off, checkmark, chip, cicatrix, cicatrize, claw, concussion, crack, crackle, craze, cut, damage, dapple, dash, deface, defect, defection, deficiency, define, deform, delimit, demarcate, discolor, discoloration, disfigure, disfigurement, disproportion, distort, dog, dot, drawback, dysphemize, earmark, engrave, engraving, erratum, error, eyesore, failing, failure, fault, faute, flash burn, flaw, fleck, flick, foible, foreign body, foreign intruder, fracture, frailty, fray, frazzle, freckle, fret, fright, gall, gargoyle, gash, graving, hack, hag, harm, harridan, hatch, hole, hurt, impair, impairment, imperfection, impress, imprint, impurity, inadequacy, incise, incision, infirmity, injure, injury, intruder, jot, kink, lacerate, laceration, lentigo, lesion, line, little problem, look a fright, look a mess, look bad, look like hell, look something terrible, macula, maim, make a mark, make mincemeat of, mar, mark, mark off, mark out, marking, maul, mess, misfit, misshape, mole, monkey wrench, monster, monstrosity, mortal wound, mote, mottle, mutilate, mutilation, nevus, nick, no beauty, notch, oddball, offend, offend the eye, patch, pencil, pepper, pierce, pockmark, point, polka dot, prejudice, prick, print, problem, punch, punctuate, puncture, rend, rent, riddle, rift, rip, run, rupture, savage, scab, scald, scar, scarecrow, scarification, scarify, scorch, score, scotch, scrape, scratch, scratching, scuff, seal, seam, second-degree burn, shortcoming, sight, skin, slash, slit, sliver, smear, snag, something missing, sore, speck, speckle, splash, splinter, split, splotch, spoil, spot, sprain, stab, stab wound, stain, stamp, stick, stigma, stigmatize, stone, strain, strawberry mark, streak, striate, stripe, sully, taint, tarnish, tattoo, tattoo mark, tear, teratism, third-degree burn, tick, tick off, tittle, trace, trauma, traumatize, truncate, twist, uglify, ugly duckling, underline, underscore, vice, vitiate, vulnerable place, warp, wart, watermark, weak link, weak point, weakness, weed, witch, wound, wounds immedicable, wrench

ROGET THESAURUS

Blemish

Imperfection

N imperfection, imperfectness, deficiency, inadequacy, peccancy, immaturity, fault, defect, weak point, screw loose, flaw, gap, twist, taint, attainder, bar sinister, hole in one's coat, blemish, weakness, half blood, shortcoming, drawback, seamy side, mediocrity, no great shakes, no great catch, not much to boast of, one-horse shay, imperfect, not perfect, deficient, defective, faulty, unsound, tainted, out of order, out of tune, cracked, leaky, sprung, warped, lame, injured, peccant, frail, inadequate, crude, incomplete, found wanting, below par, short-handed, below its full strength, under its full strength, below its full complement, indifferent, middling, ordinary, mediocre, average, so-so, coucicouci, milk and water, tolerable, fair, passable, pretty well, pretty good, rather good, moderately good, good, good enough, well enough, adequate, decent, not bad, not amiss, inobjectionable, unobjectionable, admissible, bearable, only better than nothing, secondary, inferior, second-rate, second-best, one-horse, almost, to a limited extent, rather, pretty, moderately, passing, only, considering, all things considered, enough, surgit amari aliquid.

Deterioration

VB be worse, be deteriorated, become worse, become deteriorated Adj, have seen better days, deteriorate, degenerate, fall off, wane, ebb, retrograde, decline, droop, go down, go downhill, go from bad to worse, go farther and fare worse, jump out of the frying pan into the fire, run to seed, go to seed, run to waste swale, sweal, lapse, be the worse for, sphacelate: break, break down, spring a leak, crack, start, shrivel, fade, go off, wither, molder, rot, rankle, decay, go bad, go to decay, fall into decay, fall into the sear and yellow leaf, rust, crumble, shake, totter, totter to its fall, perish, die, deteriorate, weaken, put back, set back, taint, infect, contaminate, poison, empoison, envenom, canker, corrupt, exulcerate, pollute, vitiate, inquinate, debase, embase, denaturalize, denature, leaven, deflower, debauch, defile, deprave, degrade, ulcerate, stain, discolor, alloy, adulterate, sophisticate, tamper with, prejudice, pervert, prostitute, demoralize, brutalize, render vicious, embitter, acerbate, exacerbate, aggravate, injure, impair, labefy, damage, harm, hurt, shend, scath, scathe, spoil, mar, despoil, dilapidate, waste, overrun, ravage, pillage, wound, stab, pierce, maim, lame, surbate, cripple, hough, hamstring, hit between wind and water, scotch, mangle, mutilate, disfigure, blemish, deface, warp, blight, rot, corrode, erode, wear away, wear out, gnaw, gnaw at the root of, sap, mine, undermine, shake, sap the foundations of, break up, disorganize, dismantle, dismast, destroy, damnify, do one's worst, knock down, deal a blow to, play havoc with, play sad havoc with, play the mischief with, play the deuce with, play the very devil with, play havoc among, play sad havoc among, play the mischief among, play the deuce among, play the very devil among, decimate.

N deterioration, debasement, wane, ebb, recession, retrogradation, decrease, degeneracy, degeneration, degenerateness, degradation, depravation, depravement, devolution, depravity, demoralization, retrogression, masochism, impairment, inquination, injury, damage, loss, detriment, delaceration, outrage, havoc, inroad, ravage, scath, perversion, prostitution, vitiation, discoloration, oxidation, pollution, defoedation, poisoning, venenation, leaven, contamination, canker, corruption, adulteration, alloy, decline, declension, declination, decadence, decadency, falling off, caducity, decrepitude, decay, dilapidation, ravages of time, wear and tear, corrosion, erosion, moldiness, rottenness, moth and rust, dry rot, blight, marasmus, atrophy, collapse, disorganization, delabrement (destruction), aphid, Aphis, plant louse, puceron, vinefretter, vinegrub, wreck, mere wreck, honeycomb, magni nominis umbra, jade, plug, rackabones, skate, tackey, tacky, have seen better days, deteriorate, degenerate, fall off, wane, ebb, retrograde, decline, droop, go down, go downhill, go from bad to worse, go farther and fare worse, jump out of the frying pan into the fire, run to seed, go to seed, run to waste swale, sweal, lapse, be the worse for, sphacelate: break, break down, spring a leak, crack, start, shrivel, fade, go off, wither, molder, rot, rankle, decay, go bad, go to decay, fall into decay, fall into the sear and yellow leaf, rust, crumble, shake, totter, totter to its fall, perish, die, deteriorate, weaken, put back, set back, taint, infect, contaminate, poison, empoison, envenom, canker, corrupt, exulcerate, pollute, vitiate, inquinate, debase, embase, denaturalize, denature, leaven, deflower, debauch, defile, deprave, degrade, ulcerate, stain, discolor, alloy, adulterate, sophisticate, tamper with, prejudice, pervert, prostitute, demoralize, brutalize, render vicious, embitter, acerbate, exacerbate, aggravate, injure, impair, labefy, damage, harm, hurt, shend, scath, scathe, spoil, mar, despoil, dilapidate, waste, overrun, ravage, pillage, wound, stab, pierce, maim, lame, surbate, cripple, hough, hamstring, hit between wind and water, scotch, mangle, mutilate, disfigure, blemish, deface, warp, blight, rot, corrode, erode, wear away, wear out, gnaw, gnaw at the root of, sap, mine, undermine, shake, sap the foundations of, break up, disorganize, dismantle, dismast, destroy, damnify, do one's worst, knock down, deal a blow to, play havoc with, play sad havoc with, play the mischief with, play the deuce with, play the very devil with, play havoc among, play sad havoc among, play the mischief among, play the deuce among, play the very devil among, decimate, Adj, unimproved &c (improve), deteriorated, altered, altered for the worse, injured, sprung, withering, spoiling, on the wane, on the decline, tabid, degenerate, marescent, worse, the worse for, all the worse for, out of repair, out of tune, imperfect, the worse for wear, battered, weathered, weather-beaten, stale, passe, shaken, dilapidated, frayed, faded, wilted, shabby, secondhand, threadbare, worn, worn to a thread, worn to a shadow, worn to the stump, worn to rags, reduced, reduced to a skeleton, far gone, tacky, decayed, moth-eaten, worm-eaten, mildewed, rusty, moldy, spotted, seedy, time-worn, moss-grown, discolored, effete, wasted, crumbling, moldering, rotten, cankered, blighted, tainted, depraved, decrepid, decrepit, broke, busted, broken, out of commission, hors de combat, out of action, broken down, done, done for, done up, worn out, used up, finished, beyond saving, fit for the dust hole, fit for the wastepaper basket, past work, at a low ebb, in a bad way, on one's last legs, undermined, deciduous, nodding to its fall, tottering, past cure, fatigued, retrograde, deleterious, out of the frying pan into the fire, agrescit medendo, what a falling off was there!.

Ugliness

VB be ugly, look ill, grin horribly a ghastly smile, make faces, render ugly, deface, disfigure, defigure, distort, blemish, soil.

Blemish

N blemish, disfigurement, deformity, adactylism, flaw, defect, injury, spots on the sun, eyesore, stain, blot, spot, spottiness, speck, speckle, blur, tarnish, smudge, dirt, freckle, mole, macula, patch, blotch, birthmark, blobber lip, blubber lip, blain, maculation, scar, wem, pustule, whelk, excrescence, pimple, pitted, freckled, discolored, imperfect, blobber-lipped, bloodshot, injured.

Amorphism

VB deface, disfigure, deform, mutilate, truncate, derange, blemish, mar.