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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of tainted
Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 10 Apr. 2025
One new initiative the researchers have undertaken is to focus on items in the collection with histories that include some contact with tainted dealers.
—Graham Bowley, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2025
Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 19 Dec. 2024
The effects of drinking raw milk tainted with bird flu are still uncertain.
—Katherine Hignett, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for tainted
Adjective
According to the company, 99.5% of the tainted butter was recovered before reaching consumers.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 10 Apr. 2025
One new initiative the researchers have undertaken is to focus on items in the collection with histories that include some contact with tainted dealers.
—Graham Bowley, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2025
Verb
But the appeals court said the appearance of a conflict still tainted Willis’ handling of the case.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 19 Dec. 2024
The effects of drinking raw milk tainted with bird flu are still uncertain.
—Katherine Hignett, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for tainted
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tainted
Verb
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That number includes children, who represent 16 percent of those poisoned and 27 percent of all fatalities.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Apr. 2025
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And guess what, hospitals are seeing cases of vitamin A toxicity — of kids poisoned by being fed too many vitamins instead of being vaccinated.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Since 1995, $2.9 billion in federal funds have produced public and private investments totaling $42 billion for cleaning and redeveloping contaminated sites, and created more than 200,000 jobs.—
Janet McCabe,
The Conversation,
27 June 2025
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Beyond creating toxins that can directly kill animals, or harm humans that eat contaminated animals, people may suffer skin irritation and respiratory problems from contact with some of these microorganisms.—
Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
Verb
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The decision was not marred by procedural unfairness.—
Simon Perry,
People.com,
8 Apr. 2025
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Lennon's notoriously troubled upbringing was marred by paternal abandonment, frequent moves, and the sudden death of those closest to him, including his estranged mother Julia.—
Jordan Runtagh,
People.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The net loss for the first quarter ended May 1 was $8.3 million, or 27 cents per diluted share, which was better than expected.—
David Moin,
Footwear News,
5 June 2025
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The company reported a net loss of $483 million, equivalent to $1 per diluted share.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
Adjective
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Vinegar, which is really dilute acetic acid, will help the milk curdle by further denaturing the whey proteins and neutralizing negative charges at the surface of casein micelles.—
Liz Roth-Johnson,
Discover Magazine,
12 Feb. 2013
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However toxic a substance may be, the amount of exposure received by the general population is very dilute.—
George Johnson,
Discover Magazine,
8 July 2013
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
Adjective
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Jeff Rueter: The opening weekend gave a mixed first impression, with some stale atmospheres and Bayern’s 10-0 pasting of poor Auckland City giving little reason for neutrals to buy into the tournament.—
The Athletic Staff,
New York Times,
28 June 2025
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Given the affordable housing crisis, Vienna’s social housing model has been given enormous media exposure and has been studied by numerous advocacy groups with mixed views.—
Jan Goldsmith,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tainted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tainted. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
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