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
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
Michael Ruiz , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 26 May 2026
After today, his legacy and his political future will forever be tainted and spoiled.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 19 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
The court ruled unanimously that Hill had irreparably tainted the proceedings against Murdaugh in his high-profile trial over the shooting deaths of his son, Paul, and wife, Maggie.
—Michael Ruiz , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 26 May 2026
After today, his legacy and his political future will forever be tainted and spoiled.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tainted
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tainted
Adjective
-
The measure was a face-off between supporters who said the community needed more housing and opponents who raised concerns about traffic, wildlife and polluted groundwater from a nearby former landfill.—
Paul Rogers,
Mercury News,
9 June 2026
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The purifiers are part of the county’s effort to provide temporary relief to South Bay residents exposed to hydrogen sulfide from the polluted waterway while the United States and Mexico work to address infrastructure failures at a transboundary wastewater treatment facility.—
Walker Armstrong,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 June 2026
Verb
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The attack, which has been linked to a threat actor tracked as TeamPCP, poisoned the durabletask package after compromising Microsoft credentials for publishing the package.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
8 June 2026
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Some believe that’s by design, that the show has been poisoned on purpose.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
Verb
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Typically, hantavirus spreads by inhaling particles contaminated with the urine, feces or saliva of wild rodents.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
-
Meteorites, though, can be contaminated during their fiery dives and crash landings.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
12 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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Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street announced Tuesday that the 2026 Downtown Days festival will be its last, citing safety concerns after fights, assaults and property damage marred Saturday evening’s event.—
Ian Cummings,
Kansas City Star,
11 June 2026
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The March 22 election was marred by allegations of foreign influence and corruption.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 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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In another video published by B’Tselem capturing the moments after the incident, Sam’s father can be seen standing by the car, cradling his baby, whose bright yellow clothing can be seen stained with blood.—
Sarah Dean,
NBC news,
12 June 2026
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Every blue jersey will be stained with blood by the end of the match.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
11 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 14 Jun. 2026.
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