Synonyms of taint

taint 1 of 2

noun

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

• stain
• blot
• stigma
• guilt
• smudge
• shame
• slur
• smirch
• brand
• disgrace
• onus
• spot
• discredit
• dishonor
• odium
• ignominy
• infamy
• disrepute
• reproach
• corruption
• obloquy
• sin
• opprobrium
• black eye
• immorality
• vice
• disesteem
• licentiousness
• iniquity
• depravity
• debauchery
• unscrupulousness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• purity
• credit
• honor
• award
• right
• chastity
• modesty
• integrity
• legitimacy
• good
• chasteness
• goodness
• honesty
• rectitude
• probity
• uprightness
• stainlessness
• righteousness
• glory
• fame
• repute
• scrupulousness
• renown
• virtuousness

taint

2 of 2

verb

ˈtānt 

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

• poison
• spoil
• mar
• stain
• darken
• touch
• tarnish
• vitiate
• blemish
• discredit
• distort
• smear
• degrade
• corrupt
• pollute
• blacken
• soil
• sully
• dirty
• besmirch
• blur
• smudge
• disgrace
• discolor
• tar
• dishonor
• shame
• cloud
• smut
• pervert
• debase
• smirch
• subvert
• sink
• cheapen
• besmear
• demean
• foul
• deprave
• debauch
• lower
• abase
• color
• twist
• demoralize
• bastardize
• begrime

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• purify
• cleanse
• elevate
• magnify
• glorify
• uplift
• dignify
• ennoble
• enshrine
• hallow

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

• pollute
• poison
• contaminate
• defile
• befoul
• infect
• foul
• dirty
• stain
• sully
• besmirch
• soil
• dilute
• smudge
• rot
• adulterate
• blacken
• muddy
• mire
• corrupt
• smirch
• spoil
• foul up
• grime
• water down
• begrime
• doctor

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• purify
• clean
• purge
• cleanse
• clarify
• clear
• filter
• distill
• decontaminate
• sterilize
• disinfect
• sanitize

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

Recent Examples of taint

Noun

And, from this week’s issue, Nicola Twilley’s reporting on another lingering effect of the wildfires—smoke taint that is ruining grapes and threatening California’s wine industry. —Dana Goodyear, New Yorker, 7 Jan. 2026

Dorit is trying to solve it by sending her kids to visit her parents in Florida for a few weeks, but PK, an ill-fitting thong made out of an alligator’s taint skin, has blocked it just to torture her. —Brian Moylan, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025

Verb

The airline has been one of the most successful startups in aviation history, but its rapid growth has been tainted by several accidents and questions about the reliability of its aged fleet. —Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 21 Apr. 2026

And you’re also reminded that such things are still tainted, even if the movie twists itself into knots to circumvent such thinking, and the level of innocence required to listen to those hits is long gone. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2026