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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 20 Apr. 2026
Now, the school is feeling some of the same competitive pressure its public school neighbors have been feeling – because, in Cedar Rapids' new, competitive marketplace, its product has gone from shiny and new to questionable and perhaps tainted.
—Cory Turner, NPR, 19 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
Defense attorneys unsuccessfully attempted to have the trial moved out of Sacramento, saying years of news coverage following the shooting had irreparably tainted prospective jurors.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 20 Apr. 2026
Now, the school is feeling some of the same competitive pressure its public school neighbors have been feeling – because, in Cedar Rapids' new, competitive marketplace, its product has gone from shiny and new to questionable and perhaps tainted.
—Cory Turner, NPR, 19 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tainted
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tainted
Adjective
-
Though McCoy’s plot is often murkier than the polluted lake around which its events unfold, her voice, highly attuned to sensory experience, shines through.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
If canaries in coal mines were harbingers of safe conditions, surely piping plovers at Waukegan Beach mean the city is overcoming its polluted past.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Who cares about the fact that her friend cheated when her child was poisoned by her husband and her father?—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
22 Apr. 2026
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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
Verb
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Consumption of food contaminated with salmonella can cause salmonellosis, one of the most common bacterial foodborne illnesses.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
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But living in the Cuesta Park neighborhood of Mountain View, the 34-year-old mom has been without clean water for nearly a week after a water main was contaminated during a construction project.—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Net income is $807 million, or 43 cents per diluted share.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
24 Apr. 2026
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The device pulls in a lot of air to capture the very diluted CO2.—
Molly McCrea,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The entire proceedings have been marred by tragedy since the exhibition’s artistic director, Koyo Kouoh, died suddenly of liver cancer in early 2025, leaving her staff to complete the last year of work.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
5 May 2026
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The Australian Jewish Association welcomed the report’s release but said it was marred by failing to address the form of antisemitic extremism said to have motivated the Bondi Beach shooters.—
Philissa Cramer,
Sun Sentinel,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Look for bins that are not coated or stained with toxic finishes.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
30 Apr. 2026
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On TikTok, short videos often show people traveling to Turkey to fix their uneven or stained teeth and transform their smiles.—
K.H. Koehler,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 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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What happens next cannot be spoiled, only experienced, with startled laughter.—
Bethanne Patrick,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
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Cincy spoiled the shutout in the ninth off reliever Jimmy Herget when Will Benson tagged him for a two-run homer.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tainted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tainted. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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