as in polluted
containing foreign or lower-grade substances
tainted groundwater that is unfit to drink
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in poisoned
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in contaminated
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tainted
Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026
Chinese officials blamed the tainted test results on chemically altered food the athletes had consumed at the time.
—Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 6 Feb. 2026
Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 May 2026
In 2018, a Justice Department watchdog report on the FBI’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email probe criticized the FBI and its former director, James Comey, but did not find evidence that political bias tainted the investigation.
—ABC News, 26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tainted
Adjective
Corruption scandals have brought down several people in Zelensky’s inner circle, including his former business partner Timur Mindich and his long-time right-hand man Andriy Yermak, leading some observers to question whether Zelensky had a tendency to over-rely on tainted allies.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026
Chinese officials blamed the tainted test results on chemically altered food the athletes had consumed at the time.
—Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 6 Feb. 2026
Verb
Otherwise, journalism may be perceived as misleading the audience, prompting people to turn to other sources of information that may be tainted by self-interest rather than public interest.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 May 2026
In 2018, a Justice Department watchdog report on the FBI’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email probe criticized the FBI and its former director, James Comey, but did not find evidence that political bias tainted the investigation.
—ABC News, 26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tainted
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tainted
Adjective
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There, Marlon must cross the polluted waters of the festering Guanabara Bay in search of a former commander turned messianic cult leader to stop the spread of their paramilitary group.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
16 June 2026
-
Although everyone breathes polluted air, children, elderly, and historically disadvantaged communities are hurt the most.—
Chris Hartmann,
New York Daily News,
16 June 2026
Verb
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Last year, harmful algae blooming off Southern California poisoned hundreds of dolphins and sea lions off Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties, causing strandings along popular beaches.—
Paul Rogers,
Mercury News,
15 June 2026
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Thalib, a leading human rights activist and founder of KontraS who was poisoned with arsenic on a flight to Amsterdam.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 June 2026
Verb
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Washing hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food and/or possibly contaminated surfaces.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
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You can also be exposed to the toxin by eating shellfish that have been contaminated with the toxin.—
Carmela Karcher,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
Adjective
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However, those conditions were tailored for the popular drink’s smoother, more diluted flavor with around one-fifth of espresso’s caffeine concentration.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
11 June 2026
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Wipe them down with mild soap and water, diluted bleach, or an all-purpose cleaner.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
10 June 2026
Verb
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The Toronto Blue Jays' 2026 season has been marred by injuries, with veteran pitcher Max Scherzer facing significant setbacks.—
Peter Chawaga,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
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As Bloomberg recently reported, brides are buying $14 spells from witches on Etsy to ensure that their $100,000 weddings are not marred by blizzards or downpours.—
Maureen Dowd,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
Adjective
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But dwarf galaxies are smaller and colder, with more dilute and slower-moving matter.—
Paul M. Sutter,
Scientific American,
6 May 2026
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Second, a dilute hydrochloric acid is used to dissolve the remaining lithium and the transition metals—nickel, cobalt, and manganese.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Opt for a material that’s white washed or stained for a farmhouse look.—
Rachel Fletcher,
Architectural Digest,
19 June 2026
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Crime scene technicians called in to help execute a search warrant reported observing blood spattered all over Mao’s bedroom, and a machete and two dumbbells stained with blood.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
17 June 2026
Adjective
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The company in 2020 pleaded guilty to distributing adulterated ice-cream products and agreed to pay a fine over the outbreak.—
Dylan Tokar,
WSJ,
2 Feb. 2023
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And while most of those overdoses involved the illicit synthetic opioid fentanyl, experts say that an adulterated and contaminated drug supply is also leading to deaths.—
Nadia Kounang,
CNN,
17 Mar. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Tainted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tainted. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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