Ensuciado

Ensuciado (Spanish, past participle of ensuciar) describes something or someone that is dirty, soiled, stained, or made unclean. It implies the presence of undesirable substances like dirt, grime, mud, or other contaminants. The degree of 'ensuciado' can vary from a light smudge to a significant, pervasive state of uncleanness, often associated with a lack of hygiene or care. The word evokes a sensory experience, often visual and tactile, highlighting a contrast with cleanliness and freshness. It can be applied literally to objects and figuratively to concepts or reputations.

Ensuciado meaning with examples

• Después de jugar en el barro, los zapatos de los niños estaban completamente ensuciados. (After playing in the mud, the children's shoes were completely soiled.) The dirt covered them completely, rendering them unrecognizable. Cleaning them would be a difficult task that would require a lot of time and patience. The mud had turned them from clean footwear to a mess of filth.
• La camisa blanca se ensució con salsa de tomate durante la cena. (The white shirt got stained with tomato sauce during dinner.) The stain stood out starkly against the white fabric, highlighting the impact of the accident at the table. It made the entire shirt feel unclean, even if the rest was perfectly fine. It looked like a difficult stain to remove without professional help.
• El coche, tras el viaje por carreteras sin pavimentar, quedó terriblemente ensuciado de polvo y barro. (The car, after the trip on unpaved roads, was terribly dirty with dust and mud.) It was nearly unrecognizable, a testament to the difficult journey it had just endured. The dirt showed the kind of terrain it had recently travelled. The amount of work it was going to take to clean was disheartening.
• La imagen del político quedó ensuciada por el escándalo de corrupción. (The politician's image was sullied by the corruption scandal.) The revelation of illicit activity brought with it a sense of tarnishment to the reputation of the politician. It made people distrustful and caused people to view everything he did with suspicion and distrust. Public opinion of his actions was forever damaged.
• El artista, con las manos ensuciadas de pintura, continuó trabajando en su obra maestra. (The artist, with his hands covered in paint, continued working on his masterpiece.) The paint on his hands was a visible sign of his dedication. The creative process he was immersed in created a sense of energy and creativity that was expressed through this state. He would worry about cleanliness later.