SMUDGED Synonyms: 145 Similar and Opposite Words

smudged 1 of 2

adjective

as in stained

not clean every copy of the book that the store had was smudged

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

smudged

2 of 2

verb

past tense of smudge

as in blackened

to make dirty she accidentally smudged her collar with the lipstick

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of smudged

Verb

Rather than a hard, graphic line, her makeup artist smudged burgundy tones under the lower lashes. — Marci Robin, Allure, 5 Oct. 2026 Even the more dramatic elements like dark liner and smoky eyes are showing up smudged and diffused. — Ashley Lynch, Sacbee.com, 28 Sep. 2026 Inglessis applies liner near the lash line—easily smudged for a day-to-night look—while Baker, a huge mascara advocate, considers a single coat (if that) all that’s necessary. — Calin Van Paris, InStyle, 4 Sep. 2026 The Bobbi Brown side had faded less and hadn’t smudged as much beneath my lower lash line, which is usually the first area to start running. — Beth Sobol, Flow Space, 2 Sep. 2026 Dark circles get enhanced rather than left alone, and liner is smudged on purpose to look slept-in. — Ashley Lynch, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026 Will Hammond, quarterback, Texas Tech Even after Cincinnati transfer Brendan Sorsby’s gambling scandal saga, which ended in Sorsby unable to play and Texas Tech leadership smudged, the Red Raiders are favored to win the Big 12. — Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026 The death certificate, which listed the surname as Webber, put his age at 26, or 36; the handwriting was smudged — or corrected. — Frank Witsil, Freep.com, 14 Aug. 2026 Loose waves and smudged eye makeup, sharpened with pink at the inner corners, kept the effect closer to one of her stage looks. — Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 3 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for smudged

Adjective

Luckily the damage appears to be mostly cosmetic, and the beautiful balustrades, stained glass, and mahogany built-ins have survived the makeover unscathed.

— Nora DeLigter, Curbed, 23 Oct. 2026
While stained glass does have a residential history—Frank Lloyd Wright in particular was known for incorporating art glass in projects—these colorful windows most often have religious connotations.

— Kelsey Mulvey, Architectural Digest, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of stained

Verb

As the balloon and its occupants fell to the ground, the nylon envelope and the gondola separated, and the wreckage scattered over a roughly 100-yard area, parts of it blackened by the explosion and resulting fire.

— Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026
The shrinking process had exaggerated some features, vanished others, and blackened the flesh.

— Daniel Barnum, Longreads, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of blackened

Adjective

The state was apportioned a bare 300,000 acre-feet a year in 1928, when Las Vegas was merely a dusty outpost miles from the Hoover Dam construction site.

— Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
On July 2, 2025, a burst with energy equivalent to 1,000 suns blazing for 10 billion years lit up Fermi’s detectors, heading from a dusty galaxy about eight billion light-years from Earth.

— Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of dusty

Verb

When stormwater dirtied by road runoff, failing septic tanks and fertilizer sullied crystal-clear rivers and lakes, and nobody cared.

— Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2026
Garments can be dirtied again by the elements if air-dried outside.

— Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Dec. 2025

Definition of dirtied

Adjective

Living room furniture does not stand a chance against a shedding dog, a muddy paw or a cat with strong opinions about upholstery.

— Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Oct. 2026
On muddy gravel between the smokestacks and the water, a forklift held what looked like an enormous sack of sand.

— Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of muddy

Adjective

In the world of sports broadcasting, ESPN and Buck did Aikman dirty.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Oct. 2026
Now Gizelle has to decide whether that person is her longtime friend in real life or the woman who has spent the past several seasons doing much of her dirty work.

— Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of dirty

Adjective

There is an accumulation of black growth on the lid and metal chute inside of ice machine.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
To keep your witch costume fashionably chic, pointy-toe black lace-up boots or pumps are the perfect finishing touch.

— Tonya Blazio-Licorish, Footwear News, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of black

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Style

“Smudged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smudged. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of smudged

adjective

verb

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