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

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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 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 But there’s a taste of ash tainting the popcorn thrills. —

David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Nov. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tainting

Verb

Ancient lava fields can be seen as dark lunar maria marring the silvery lunar surface, which themselves are threaded with bright streaks of reflective debris strewn across the surface by violent asteroid strikes.

— Anthony Wood, Space.com, 2 Apr. 2026
The demoralizing graffiti marring the main entrance to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 360 Lenox Ave.

— Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 12 Feb. 2026