as in stain
a mark of guilt or disgrace
that rare political campaign that wasn't marred by the taint of false accusations
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to poison
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
criticism of her sister's singing that was tainted by envy a tendency toward conceitedness taints the athlete's status as a role model
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to pollute
to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable
smog has long tainted the air of the city, making it difficult to breathe
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of taint
Christina Pickard, Bon Appétit, 5 Mar. 2025
Catholicism offers ritual without the tedium of rationality; anarchism offers revolutionary action against inequality without the taint of materialism, the prospect of personal gain.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
Dave Hage, Literary Hub, 27 May 2025
It’s been 17 years since tainted blood thinner from China injured or killed hundreds of people in the United States, and since then, contaminants and other defects have appeared in a cross section of America’s generic drugs.
—Brandon Roberts, ProPublica, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for taint
Noun
Bonus: The vast majority of Aussie wines are sealed with screw caps, regardless of price, which equals consistency, longer aging, and zero risk of cork taint.
—Christina Pickard, Bon Appétit, 5 Mar. 2025
Catholicism offers ritual without the tedium of rationality; anarchism offers revolutionary action against inequality without the taint of materialism, the prospect of personal gain.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
Verb
The scene has the pastoral calm of an English landscape painting and gives the impression of a river scarcely touched by progress or tainted by the twentieth century.
—Dave Hage, Literary Hub, 27 May 2025
It’s been 17 years since tainted blood thinner from China injured or killed hundreds of people in the United States, and since then, contaminants and other defects have appeared in a cross section of America’s generic drugs.
—Brandon Roberts, ProPublica, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for taint
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taint
Noun
-
Your cleaner of choice for stubborn grease, stains, and odors on pots and pans may be half a lemon and salt or baking soda, but take note of the materials they’re made with.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
26 June 2025
-
Lie down on an old towel to protect your surface from oil stains.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Health,
25 June 2025
Verb
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Prior to foreign hunters visiting Uruguay and providing a financial incentive to keep the birds’ populations healthy, ducks were often poisoned en masse because they were seen as little more than crop raiders.—
Chris Dorsey,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
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Has sports gambling poisoned the relationship between athletes and fans?—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
27 June 2025
Verb
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Beware of anyone telling you coal or gas is the answer to high energy bills, especially when their profit margins are tied to these polluting fossil fuels.—
Emily Scarr,
Baltimore Sun,
29 June 2025
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Adam is showing how even language, the medium of the novel, can be polluted, corrupted, and transformed into a means of exploitation.—
Robert Rubsam,
The Atlantic,
21 June 2025
Noun
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This blot on our state suggests the need for a constitutional amendment to make the office safely independent of the governor.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 June 2025
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In Tunisia, President Kais Saied has notoriously imprisoned political opponents, destroying the judiciary, and diminished parliament to an ink blot.—
Bruce Fein,
Baltimore Sun,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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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
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Farmers’ broiler chickens suffocate, and dairy products spoil.—
Monica Mark,
The Christian Science Monitor,
10 Feb. 2023
Verb
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that campylobacter is a type of bacteria that causes diarrheal illness and is usually transmitted through undercooked meat, contaminated food or water, or contact with animals.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
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In April, her gym water bottle was allegedly contaminated with cyanide and thallium after her car was broken into, prosecutors said, according to WKOW.—
Samira Asma-Sadeque,
People.com,
24 June 2025
Noun
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Although the group’s compound was razed, the locals are still trying to shake the stigma.—
Will Carless,
USA Today,
6 July 2025
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Many prominent men across sports, music, business and politics have opened up about their mental health struggles, helping to chip away at the persistent stigma that discourages men from seeking help.—
Sreedhar Potarazu,
Baltimore Sun,
6 July 2025
Verb
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The Mets go the way of Francisco Lindor, and he’s been marred in his own slump this month.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
30 June 2025
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The last weekend of June in Indianapolis was marred by a rash of shootings that left seven dead and nine others injured.—
Noe Padilla,
IndyStar,
30 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Taint.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taint. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.
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