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taint

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb taint contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of taint are contaminate, defile, and pollute. While all these words mean "to make impure or unclean," taint stresses the loss of purity or cleanliness that follows contamination.

tainted meat
a politician's tainted reputation

When would contaminate be a good substitute for taint?

While in some cases nearly identical to taint, contaminate implies intrusion of or contact with dirt or foulness from an outside source.

water contaminated by industrial wastes

When can defile be used instead of taint?

The words defile and taint are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, defile implies befouling of what could or should have been kept clean and pure or held sacred and commonly suggests violation or desecration.

defile a hero's memory with slanderous innuendo

When is pollute a more appropriate choice than taint?

Although the words pollute and taint have much in common, pollute, sometimes interchangeable with contaminate, distinctively may imply that the process which begins with contamination is complete and that what was pure or clean has been made foul, poisoned, or filthy.

the polluted waters of the river

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of taint
Noun
When positioned in the right spot, the arm can tease your testicles as well as your perineum (also known as your taint). Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 24 Jan. 2025 Such stories also give permission to new forms, while protecting designs from too strong a taint of faddishness, or of strenuous icon-making. Ian Parker, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
Verb
In her motion to close the pre-trial hearings, Smith argued coverage discussing evidence that could be tossed in the future as inadmissible could further taint a jury. Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Mar. 2025 In its letter, the committee said that Albanese’s rhetoric tainted both the U.N. as an institution and her own position. Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 5 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for taint
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taint
Noun
  • Join the 20,000 customers who recently bought the compact cleaning gadget to tackle stains, pet messes, and dirt on carpets and upholstery.
    Isabel Garcia, People.com, 18 Apr. 2025
  • The Laundress makes a ton of other luxury laundry products, like a stain remover pretreatment, wool and cashmere spray, and a static-reducing fabric softener.
    Annie Blackman, Allure, 18 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Morgan was previously married to Keith Whitley from 1986 to his alcohol poisoning death in 1989 at age 34.
    Rachel DeSantis, People.com, 17 Apr. 2025
  • Scores of sea lions and dolphins have been fatally poisoned in recent months by domoic acid, a neurotoxin produced by harmful algal blooms.
    Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Well, the nation’s most polluting coal plant, Montana’s Colstrip plant, has asked the EPA for an exemption, as the New York Times’ Hiroko Tabuchi reports.
    Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2025
  • Vyse's version is simpler and cheaper—estimated to add only a few cents more to the price of a drink—and avoids polluting gases.
    Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The ink blots of the past 20 years are dried all over Metal Gear Solid Delta.
    Ashley Bardhan, Rolling Stone, 6 Feb. 2025
  • How To Get Pen Out Of Clothes Pet Stains Remove any solids and blot wet areas with a paper towel.
    Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 28 Oct. 2024
Verb
  • Dodge won't spoil the surprise by confirming if the last one will be based on the Charger or the Challenger (or maybe both), but the evidence suggests the latter is more likely.
    Jack Fitzgerald, Car and Driver, 13 Feb. 2023
  • Farmers’ broiler chickens suffocate, and dairy products spoil.
    Monica Mark, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Feb. 2023
Verb
  • Martinelli's is recalling more than 170,000 apple juice bottles because their contents may be contaminated by patulin, a toxic substance produced by some fungi.
    Alain Sherter, CBS News, 28 Apr. 2025
  • Since 2019, the state’s Marijuana Enforcement Division, known as MED, has issued 63 recalls for cannabis products contaminated with bacteria, fungus, pesticides, heavy metals or other chemicals above the legal limits.
    Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 20 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • McLaughlin argues that stigma and misinformation have colored many clinicians’ perspectives.
    Frieda Klotz, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Apr. 2025
  • Respect requests for accommodations, such as quiet spaces or extra time. Speak up against stigma or unfair treatment.
    Lindsay Curtis, Verywell Health, 24 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • His rookie season was marred by an uneven second half, which was hindered by hand and foot injuries.
    Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 25 Apr. 2025
  • His final collegiate season was marred by a shoulder injury and insufficient QB play, but Loveland still led the Wolverines in receptions (56), receiving yards (582) and receiving TDs (five).
    Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Taint.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taint. Accessed 3 May. 2025.

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