stain
noun
Stain — a deep, often indelible mark left on character or reputation
Definition
An act that brings discredit to the person who does it; "he made a huge blot on his copybook"
In depth
A stain is an act that brings discredit to the person who does it, the word carrying perhaps the deepest and most evocative sense of permanence among its close synonyms, suggesting a mark that has truly soaked into and altered the underlying material, rather than merely resting on its surface. A stain on one's character implies discredit that resists easy removal.
Origin
The word descends from Old French desteindre, to discolor, formed from des- (un-) and teindre (to dye or tinge), ultimately from Latin tingere, to dye. That root connection to dyeing, a process that fundamentally alters a material's color rather than merely marking its surface, gives 'stain' its particular sense of deep, structural, and often irreversible discredit.
Usage examples
"He made a huge stain on his copybook with that one careless remark, a moment that seemed to color every subsequent judgment of his character."
"The scandal left a stain on the institution's reputation that decades of careful work never fully erased."
"She carried the stain of that single failure for years, long after everyone else had genuinely forgotten it."
How to use it
Stain carries particularly strong connotations of deep, lasting discredit, well suited to writing about reputation or character damage that resists easy forgiveness or correction, often used to emphasize the disproportionate, lingering weight of a single significant failure.
Related concepts
Looking for a word but don't know its name?
Try the Word Finder →