Synonyms of tainting

tainting

verb

present participle of taint

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

• marring
• spoiling
• poisoning
• staining
• darkening
• touching
• tarnishing
• distorting
• vitiating
• corrupting
• degrading
• polluting
• discrediting
• lowering
• smearing
• blackening
• blemishing
• sullying
• clouding
• soiling
• blurring
• besmirching
• dirtying
• discoloring
• disgracing
• dishonoring
• tarring
• debasing
• smudging
• shaming
• perverting
• subverting
• sinking
• cheapening
• twisting
• debauching
• demeaning
• fouling
• smutting
• abasing
• demoralizing
• bastardizing
• besmearing
• smirching
• coloring
• depraving
• begriming

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• cleansing
• purifying
• elevating
• magnifying
• uplifting
• glorifying
• enshrining
• ennobling
• dignifying
• hallowing

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• polluting
• poisoning
• contaminating
• defiling
• infecting
• befouling
• fouling
• sullying
• diluting
• staining
• soiling
• besmirching
• dirtying
• rotting
• corrupting
• blackening
• adulterating
• smudging
• muddying
• spoiling
• miring
• doctoring
• griming
• fouling up
• smirching
• watering down
• begriming

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• purifying
• cleaning
• clearing
• purging
• clarifying
• cleansing
• filtering
• distilling
• decontaminating
• sterilizing
• disinfecting
• sanitizing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of tainting

Several homeowners near Meta’s massive Newton County data center have filed a lawsuit accusing the tech company and others of tainting their water and destroying their rural way of life. — Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 1 Sep. 2026

For all intents and purposes, an unknown actor can wade unburdened into the depths of Bond, able to transform without a viewer’s prior expectation tainting the image of 007. — Emily Maskell, IndieWire, 10 July 2026

District Court Judge Tony Graf ordered measures to prevent the comments by Utah County prosecutor Christopher Ballard from tainting potential jurors should the case go to trial. — Reuters, NBC news, 26 June 2026

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

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