TAINTING Synonyms: 80 Similar and Opposite Words

tainting

verb

present participle of taint

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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of tainting 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 Judges typically allow for questioning of prospective jurors who may have a bias separately from the larger pool of jurors to avoid tainting others. —

John Diedrich, jsonline.com, 12 Dec. 2025 And there's also issues of tainting the jury pool. —

Stepheny Price , Michael Ruiz , Adam Sabes , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 11 Dec. 2025 Any effort to equate the two is misleading, tainting the profound grief of mothers experiencing miscarriage. —

Lane Koch, Washington Post, 8 Dec. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tainting

Verb

Use place mats or tablecloths on your kitchen table to keep food spills, condensation from drinks, and utensils from marring or staining the surface.

— Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 29 May 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