tinge

1 of 2

noun

ˈtinj 

1

: a slight staining or suffusing shade or color

2

: an affective or modifying property or influence : touch

a tinge of guilt

tinge

2 of 2

verb

tinged; tingeing or tinging ˈtin-jiŋ 

transitive verb

1

a

: to color with a slight shade or stain : tint

b

: to affect or modify with a slight odor or taste

2

: to affect or modify in character

Synonyms

Noun

• cast
• color
• hue
• shade
• tincture
• tint
• tone

Verb

• bepaint [archaic]
• color
• dye
• paint
• pigment
• stain
• tincture
• tint

Examples of tinge in a Sentence

Noun

showing a tinge of color

dark hair with reddish tinges

Verb

The ink tinged his fingers blue.

just slightly tinge the frosting with yellow food coloring to give it a lemony look

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

And especially after the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, postwar American exceptionalism lost its racial tinge, replaced by a conviction that the melting pot would successfully integrate a diverse population into one civic nation. —Charles A. Kupchan, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2018

But he’s still got a tinge of that eerie late-period Eddie detachment. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 2 July 2024

Verb

All the humor, of course, is tinged with haunting heartbreak. —David Oliver, USA TODAY, 11 July 2024

To be sure, future creatives at Dries Van Noten arrive at a house synonymous with ravishing colors, striking prints and dignified dressing tinged with exotic details and embroideries. —Miles Socha, WWD, 21 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Latin tingere to dip, moisten, tinge; akin to Greek tengein to moisten and probably to Old High German dunkōn to dip

First Known Use

Noun

1752, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

tinge

1 of 2 verb

ˈtinj 

tinged; tingeing or tinging ˈtin-jiŋ 

: to color or flavor slightly

tinge

2 of 2 noun

: a slight coloring, flavor, or quality

a reddish tinge

a tinge of mystery