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 of tinge

Noun

• shade
• tone
• color
• hue
• tint

Verb

• tint
• paint
• color
• stain
• dye
• pigment

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

Cuomo spends a lot of the album chewing over a middle-aged indecisiveness that mirrors the journey of his fans, adding a drolly poignant tinge to a warmly familiar sound. — Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026

The inn will soon open a restaurant, Viola’s Bar and Bistro (named after Baker’s grandmother), serving French cuisine with Southern tinges on the vintage servingware Baker collected. — Dakota Kim, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026

Verb

Ultimately the day was tinged with disappointment for the away side, with Birmingham equalising courtesy of a last-minute Demarai Gray penalty. — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026

That understanding for the narrator is one tinged with mourning for the boy who endured but also the suspect boy who was always there, even before all the unfortunate happenings. — Literary Hub, 18 Aug. 2026

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

Rhymes for tinge

• binge
• cringe
• fringe
• hinge
• singe
• twinge
• impinge
• infringe
• syringe

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