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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
Some argued that, given the presumptive unethical taint of such collections, human remains should be buried or otherwise respectfully disposed of. Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 23 June 2025 That realization tends to color behavior, and taints the findings. Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 17 June 2025
Verb
Suddenly, my spotless record was tainted. Joe Garcia, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2025 The work captures life between Mount Vesuvius and the Gulf of Naples, where the ground shakes periodically and the fumaroles of the Phlegraean Fields taint the air. Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 3 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for taint
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taint
Noun
  • Plus, their fabric and fill are less likely to accrue that ever-darkening yellowish stain that tired goose down pillows acquire over time, thanks to sweat, oils, lotion residues, etc.
    Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 24 Oct. 2025
  • For more stubborn or deep stains, like ink or red wine, combine equal parts of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda to form a paste.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Leawood police fielded nearly 400 food-poisoning complaints and conducted about 130 interviews, a volume that briefly crashed the department’s records system, according to the Johnson County Post, KSHB 41 and KCTV5.
    Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
  • Chloe then baked a cake poisoned with oleander leaves killing the owner’s wife and some children.
    Noreen Kompanik, Boston Herald, 26 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • All of this is brought to us through data centers that consume vast amounts of water and pollute Black neighborhoods in cities like Memphis.
    Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2025
  • The attorney general’s office said that plastic retail bags comprise much of the waste that is polluting California’s ecosystems and clogging its waterways.
    Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 22 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Mix 1 cup of baking soda with 2 cups of hydrogen peroxide and use a white cloth to apply it to the stain and blot gently.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Let sit for 15-20 minutes, then blot away all the surface moisture.
    Gretchen McKay, Boston Herald, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • For the party’s new leadership, running Libertarian candidates and providing an outlet for their voters’ political perspective isn’t spoiling.
    Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 26 Oct. 2025
  • The Pistons were whistled for 31 fouls, resulting in 48 Houston free-throw attempts, and still found a way to spoil the Rockets’ home opener.
    Hunter Patterson, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • This Foster Farms recall follows a similar recall initiated in September by The Hillshire Brands Company of approximately 58 million pounds of corn dog and sausage on a stick products, also possibly contaminated with pieces of wood in the batter.
    Amber Brenza, Health, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Although the bacterium can contaminate many types of food, cheeses or deli meats that are kept in cold storage for long periods in stores or at home are a place where listeria can keep growing.
    Matthew Robinson, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Limited mobility, social stigma, and inaccessible spaces make isolation and loneliness a common problem.
    Joni Eareckson Tada, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Norton’s father said the Pippins provide the visual icon to fight the stigma that is attached to the conversation around anxiety, depression, and mental health.
    Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Advertisement While the commercial supply of goods has improved since the cease-fire deal, the flow of humanitarian aid continues to be marred by bureaucracy, delays, and blockages.
    Anna Halford, Time, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Martin starred as one of the NFL’s top running backs a decade ago, in a career that was also marred by injuries and off-field challenges.
    Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Taint.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taint. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.

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