tainted

adjective

taint·​ed ˈtān-təd 

: altered from a pure state or condition: such as

a

: contaminated by or as if by dirt, impurities, or harmful organisms

tainted food

Nearby residents typically want every shovelful of tainted soil dug up and shipped far, far away.

—Gregg Easterbrook

… federal health authorities identified an organic produce company … as a possible source of some of the tainted spinach.

—Julia Preston et al.

Viruses are often passed along to other computers via tainted files …

—J. D. Biersdorfer

b

: corrupted morally or ethically

a tainted victory

c

: damaged or spoiled by alteration from a correct or original state or form

tainted evidence

tainted testimony

Synonyms

• adulterate
• adulterated
• alloyed
• contaminated
• dilute
• diluted
• impure
• polluted
• thinned
• weakened

Examples of tainted in a Sentence

tainted groundwater that is unfit to drink

Recent Examples on the Web

An investigation found that six children died and 300,000 got sick from drinking the tainted formula. —Pei-Lin Wu, Washington Post, 11 July 2024

The tainted liquor was locally brewed and laced with methanol and then wrongly put on sale last Tuesday, according to Tamil Nadu state chief minister M.K. Stalin. —Harriet Marsden, theweek, 24 June 2024

Several regions in India have seen mass casualties due to consumption of tainted alcohol. —Anupama Chandrasekaran, NPR, 23 June 2024

Exposure to that tainted water can cause health problems, mainly stomach problems, skin infections and breathing issues. —Claire Grunewald, Miami Herald, 19 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined above