tinge

1 of 2

noun

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 How to pronounce tinge (audio)

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

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
The easily portable blush stick, highlight stick, and bronzing powder have a tinge of shimmer to create a radiantg, but not all-out sparkly, finish. Annie Blackman, Allure, 25 Sep. 2024 Her designs ranged from poetic and frothy in register to stronger, sculptural designs, or ones with punk tinges. Miles Socha, WWD, 9 Sep. 2024
Verb
While officials were pleased with Starliner's landing, the celebration was tinged with disappointment. Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 7 Sep. 2024 Loraine became low-level depressed and, as the months of the pandemic turned to years, tinged with bitterness. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 31 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for tinge 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tinge.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of tinge was in 1577

Dictionary Entries Near tinge

Cite this Entry

“Tinge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tinge. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

tinge

1 of 2 verb
tinged; tingeing or tinging ˈtin-jiŋ How to pronounce tinge (audio)
: to color or flavor slightly

tinge

2 of 2 noun
: a slight coloring, flavor, or quality
a reddish tinge
a tinge of mystery

More from Merriam-Webster on tinge

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!