taint

1 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 that athlete's status as a role model Synonyms blemish, darken, mar, poison, spoil, stain, tarnish, touch, vitiate Related Words begrime, besmear, besmirch, blacken, blur, cloud, dirty, discolor, pollute, smear, smirch, smudge, smut, soil, sully, tar; abase, cheapen, debase, degrade, demean, discredit, disgrace, dishonor, foul, lower, shame, sink; bastardize, corrupt, debauch, demoralize, deprave, pervert, subvert; color, distort, twist Near Antonyms cleanse, purify; dignify, elevate, ennoble, enshrine, glorify, hallow, magnify, uplift

2 to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable smog has long tainted the air of that city, making it difficult to breathe Synonyms befoul, defile, foul, poison, pollute, contaminateRelated Words infect; begrime, besmirch, blacken, dirty, foul up, grime, mire, muddy, smirch, smudge, soil, stain, sully; corrupt, rot, spoil; adulterate, doctor; dilute, water downNear Antonyms clarify, clean, cleanse, clear, distill (also distil), purge; filter; disinfect, sanitize, sterilizeAntonyms decontaminate, purify