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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 6 Feb. 2026
The severity of the damage usually depends on how much of the tainted gas drivers pumped, Inslee said.
—Katie Langford, Denver Post, 15 Jan. 2026
Tim Requarth, Longreads, 9 Apr. 2026
And yet, for years, the air has been tainted.
—Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tainted
Adjective
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
The severity of the damage usually depends on how much of the tainted gas drivers pumped, Inslee said.
—Katie Langford, Denver Post, 15 Jan. 2026
Verb
The gap between your real autobiography and your synthetically infused, commercially tainted one drives a pervasive sense of inadequacy, as your actual life fails to live up to a narrative identity that was never yours to begin with.
—Tim Requarth, Longreads, 9 Apr. 2026
And yet, for years, the air has been tainted.
—Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tainted
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tainted
Adjective
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Such assurances are unlikely to quell the community’s decades-long experience with polluted runoff, however, and small farmers say that runoff could also present a food safety problem and threaten to set back years of organic farming practices.—
Thomas Heaton,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
State officials issued islandwide brown water advisories for Oahu and Maui after storms sent polluted runoff into coastal waters.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Weinstein’s lawyers have argued that his New York conviction last year was poisoned by bad blood among jurors.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Could Ty Jones, whose autopsy said the 33-year-old died of heart issues, have been poisoned too?—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Batches of marijuana produced by Levels IV and sold in Denver, Aurora, Northglenn, Broomfield and Colorado Springs was contaminated with the pesticide chlorfenapyr, the Department of Public Health and Environment and Department of Revenue said in an alert.—
Katie Langford,
Denver Post,
17 Apr. 2026
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The site contaminated with radioactive waste has raised health and safety concerns for decades.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Kondrat also recommends using diluted fertilizer throughout an orchid’s life, not just when starting a new plant.—
Leanne Potts,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Spray the area with the diluted vinegar and water mixture, and wipe it clean with a damp cloth to remove any residue.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But her career has been marred by high-profile incidents — including being photographed in 2007 with a freshly shaven head hitting a car with an umbrella.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
13 Apr. 2026
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Sunday’s vote was marred by delays in distributing electoral materials in several districts of Lima, forcing authorities to extend voting into Monday.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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One of them, Amy, a blond child with limp ponytails and a thin dress that looks like it might have been stained, stands outside a porch door, her fists balled up, mouth open, angry or unhappy or both.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2026
-
These areas are most productive on sunny days or when the water’s stained.—
Joe Cermele,
Outdoor Life,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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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
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For example, Wilson’s team is exploring whether dilute acids speed up weathering.—
Robert F. Service,
Science | AAAS,
3 Sep. 2020
Verb
-
The quiet offensive day spoiled Ureña’s outing.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
19 Apr. 2026
-
This sprout is the early stage of a new garlic plant forming inside the clove, not a sign that your garlic has spoiled.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tainted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tainted. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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