tinge

play

noun \ ˈtinj \

Definition of tinge

1 :a slight staining or suffusing shade or color

2 :an affective or modifying property or influence :touch

a tinge of guilt

See tinge defined for English-language learners

Examples of tinge in a Sentence

The ink tinged his fingers blue.
just slightly tinge the frosting with yellow food coloring to give it a lemony look

Recent Examples of tinge from the Web

As the alternate name Cull Obsidian might suggest, there's a wonderfully gothic tinge to the Black Order.

— graeme mcmillan, The Hollywood Reporter, "Marvel Unveils New 'Avengers: Infinity War' Villains," 15 July 2017
The plant has either a flat green/gray leaf or tinges of reddish tones.

— dennis patton, kansascity, "Hardy hibiscus provides great summer color," 14 July 2017
A tinge of melancholy punctures this appealing character study, though, when the movie addresses her dwindling stock of film and chemicals in the wake of Polaroid's de facto end as a company.

— robert abele, chicagotribune.com, "'The B-Side' review: Portrait of the artist behind the camera," 6 July 2017
The yellowish tinge of the blocks also suggests human fat viewed after a surgeon cuts a body open.

— jim higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Artist Rashid Johnson's sculpted grids contain the anxieties that rattle him," 28 June 2017
Opposite the color wheel from turmeric’s sunny tinge sits the deep blue-green of spirulina, another flashy, if not eyebrow-raising, ingredient making inroads in Baltimore eateries.

— sarah meehan, baltimoresun.com, "Trendy health ingredients give restaurants' menus an extra kick," 27 June 2017
Even his voting rights group has a political tinge.

— lindsay wise, bryan lowry and alex roarty, kansascity, "What’s next for Democratic darling Jason Kander? Missouri politician courts national stage," 26 June 2017
Starting with the Commodores, Richie blended smooth soul, a country tinge, mellow disco and easy-listening radio pop ballads.

— john adamian, courant.com, "Lionel Richie At Foxwoods," 21 June 2017
If all the Ducks run to their potential, this U.S. world championships team could have tinges of green and yellow along with the red, white and blue on their uniforms.

— ken goe, OregonLive.com, "Oregon Ducks are set up for a big impact on USATF Championships: Oregon track & field rundown," 19 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tinge.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of tinge

1752

tinge Synonyms

Synonyms

cast, hue, shade, tincture, color, tint, tone

Related Words

overtone, undertone; primary color, secondary color, tertiary color; brightness, chroma, chromaticity, contrast, lightness, saturation, value; coloration, coloring, colorway, pigmentation

Near Antonyms

achromatism

tinge

verb

Definition of tinge

tinged; tingeing or tinging play \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

See tinge defined for English-language learners

See tinge defined for kids

Examples of tinge in a Sentence

showing a tinge of color
dark hair with reddish tinges

Recent Examples of tinge from the Web

The metals, including bronze, seem to tinge the light warmly.

— joseph giovannini, New York Times, "How Do You Add to Versailles? Bravely," 5 Aug. 2016

Origin and Etymology of tinge

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1577

See Words from the same year

tinge Synonyms

Synonyms

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

Antonyms

decolorize

Related Words

brighten, lighten; darken, embrown, tone (down); checker, dapple, daub, fleck, marble, mottle, pattern, polychrome, speck, speckle, streak, striate, stripe, variegate

Near Antonyms

blanch, bleach, whiten

Other Color Terms

argentine, cerise, cerulean, cyan, ocher, perse, puce, taupe, vermilion

TINGE Defined for English Language Learners

tinge

play

verb

Definition of tinge for English Language Learners

: to give a small amount of color to (something)
: to give a small amount of some quality to (something)

tinge

noun

Definition of tinge for English Language Learners

: a slight color, flavor, or quality

TINGE Defined for Kids

tinge

play

noun \ ˈtinj \

Definition of tinge for Students

plural tinges

:a slight coloring, flavor, or quality

The walls were gray with a bluish tinge.

tinge

verb

Definition of tinge for Students

tinged; tingeing

:to color or flavor slightly

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