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

With the help of Nollet, Anderson’s hair was blown and teased away from her forehead, with tinges of pink poking through. — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2026

There’s a tinge of humor, too, in Zumthor’s stubbornness when designing someone’s home, as the conceptual clashes with the preferential. — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 6 Sep. 2026

Verb

At Old City haunts like Sazerac Bar, the beloved trio of whiskey, bitters, and sugars is still fervently poured into an Herbsaint tinged old-fashioned glass and garnished with a lemon peel. — Kristin Braswell, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 Sep. 2026

Not having been to the dinner before, the couple was filled with a mix of excitement tinged with apprehension. — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 11 Sep. 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