1
as in marring
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in polluting
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 tainting
The case has attracted enormous media attention and concerns from both sides about misinformation tainting the potential jury pool.
—
Rebecca Boone, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026
Thursday’s study is not the first indication that social media may be tainting people’s views on sunscreen and sun safety.
—Lily Alvino, NBC news, 18 June 2026
Brandy, a 90s R&B mainstay, lied about marrying her daughter’s father in the early aughts for fear of tainting her stardom.
—Deasia Paige, AJC.com, 4 June 2026
Protagonist Jo’s mother disappeared when Jo was a teen, tainting her daughter with the stain of possible witchcraft.
—Literary Hub, 2 June 2026
At a time of intensifying divisions at home, a depiction of Ecuador could offer an Edenic, new-world landscape free from the partisanship tainting Church’s New England landscapes.
—Sebastian Smee, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Now, streaming is tainting the postseason.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 15 Apr. 2026
Played by cisgender actress Kathleen Turner, Charles proved to be one of the more divisive characters from Friends, tainting its cultural legacy for some critics.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Feb. 2026
Infected people and dogs had to be prevented from tainting water sources.
—Dan Raby, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
Rebecca Boone, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026
Thursday’s study is not the first indication that social media may be tainting people’s views on sunscreen and sun safety.
—Lily Alvino, NBC news, 18 June 2026
Brandy, a 90s R&B mainstay, lied about marrying her daughter’s father in the early aughts for fear of tainting her stardom.
—Deasia Paige, AJC.com, 4 June 2026
Protagonist Jo’s mother disappeared when Jo was a teen, tainting her daughter with the stain of possible witchcraft.
—Literary Hub, 2 June 2026
At a time of intensifying divisions at home, a depiction of Ecuador could offer an Edenic, new-world landscape free from the partisanship tainting Church’s New England landscapes.
—Sebastian Smee, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Now, streaming is tainting the postseason.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 15 Apr. 2026
Played by cisgender actress Kathleen Turner, Charles proved to be one of the more divisive characters from Friends, tainting its cultural legacy for some critics.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Feb. 2026
Infected people and dogs had to be prevented from tainting water sources.
—Dan Raby, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tainting
Verb
-
Lined with live oaks and old-fashioned, busy storefronts, this artsy town on the Gulf of Mexico has no commercial development marring its shoreline.—
Valerie Fraser Luesse,
Southern Living,
16 June 2026
-
In Strasbourg, groups of Palace supporters clashed among themselves in a square in the city centre, marring the occasion.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Verb
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In a highly unusual move, the US Justice Department has urged a federalcourt to throw out a lawsuit against Elon Musk’s company xAI for its use of polluting gas turbines — sparking concerns the government is trying to undermine the ability of individuals or communities to sue polluters.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
-
Perversely, this exemption may encourage companies to switch to highly-polluting diesel engines to avoid idling fines.—
Chris Hartmann,
New York Daily News,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
Color Changes Foods can darken or brown slightly from exposure to oxygen rather than spoiling.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
18 June 2026
-
Mbappé and his teammates were inefficient to start, with poor touches spoiling attacks in and out of the box.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
Lewis was accused of poisoning two white female housemates, assaulted by a white mob in response to the charge, and acquitted in court, only to then be accused of stealing art supplies and prohibited from reënrolling.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
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It was also used in a separate supply-chain attack poisoning dozens of Red Hat packages.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Sealing the grout keeps foods from staining it.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
20 June 2026
-
Natural stone can be more involved; it should be sealed before grouting and can require upkeep to protect against staining.—
Angelika Pokovba,
Martha Stewart,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
Until the 1990s, the power company disposed of over 1 million tons of coal ash in an unlined storage area in Pines, later contaminating the groundwater that supplied the town of 700.—
Christiana Freitag,
Chicago Tribune,
13 June 2026
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Humans, on the other hand, are almost like an invasive species, with air filters lining the floors changing out all of the factory’s air in just a single minute to make sure those bags of flesh and blood don’t release too many contaminating particles.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Today, the skies seem to be darkening once again.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
19 June 2026
-
One brush fire from the summer storm then split into two, and the raging flames sent plumes of black smoke upward, darkening the skies for miles and fouling the air.—
Kairi Lowery,
Miami Herald,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
Were the children subjected to the marshmallow test allowed to pursue such gratifying delights, or would merely touching the treats have demonstrated their surrender to short-termism, causing the psychologist who gazed at them through a peephole to return, disappointed?—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
16 June 2026
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Bell notes that vegetation touching the house provides pests with a direct bridge inside, so keep shrubs trimmed back.—
Sharon Wu,
USA Today,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tainting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tainting. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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