as in stains
a mark of guilt or disgrace
that rare political campaign that wasn't marred by the taint of false accusations
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in spoils
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 pollutes
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taints
Noun
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Once the area has been allowed to air-dry for a few hours, repeat the process if any stains remain.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
27 Sep. 2025 -
When squished, their orange-ish innards can leave stains on your walls, carpet, and flooring.—
Andrea Beck,
Better Homes & Gardens,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Nothing spoils a Sunday afternoon outside with the family quite like your youngest child being carried off by a horde of maladjusted howler monkeys.—
Paul Cappiello,
Louisville Courier Journal,
24 Sep. 2025
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Pre-cut produce also spoils quicker and could pick up pathogens when sliced open.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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While much of the effort is focused on the waterline, volunteers embark on missions inland to get the trash picked up ahead of the wet winter season and it is washed down to the ocean and pollutes the waters.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
17 Sep. 2025
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Cotton farming can involve massive quantities of pesticides, and yarn dyeing pollutes waterways with toxic chemicals.—
The Editors,
Scientific American,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Deadly holiday weekend mars broad crime drop The back-and-forth followed a Labor Day weekend of deadly violence in Chicago worse than in the previous two years, with seven people shot to death, according to preliminary Chicago Police Department reports.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
3 Sep. 2025
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Valuing a project at cost of production rather than value in an arm’s length sale—common in all economic statistics—especially mars Chinese data.—
Bill Conerly,
Forbes.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The stigmas of the mother-son relationship belong to a bygone world.—
Sam Sussman
September 16,
Literary Hub,
16 Sep. 2025
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The National Alliance on Mental Health said barriers to services based on socioeconomic backgrounds, stigmas surrounding mental health and provider bias can cause inequalities in care and lead to misdiagnosis or people not receiving care at all.—
Jade Jackson,
IndyStar,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Yet this uncertainty comes as the global outlook darkens — both in economic and geopolitical terms.—
William Pesek,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
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Blocking the sunlight also darkens his living spaces.—
Roxana Popescu,
Mercury News,
11 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Why Disney touches a nerve Lou Mongello started his podcast about Disney, WDW Radio, more than 20 years ago.—
Natasha Chen,
CNN Money,
25 Sep. 2025
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Saramalacara Saramalacara made a splash with 2024’s Heráldica, a thrashing electronic opus that touches on everything from spirituality to rebirth to general internet brainrot.—
Julyssa Lopez,
Rolling Stone,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This tarnishes my view of Dean.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
7 Aug. 2025
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Ana Luisa Tired of budget-friendly jewelry that tarnishes after just a few wears?—
Lauren Alexis Fisher,
Footwear News,
3 Sep. 2019
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Cite this Entry
“Taints.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taints. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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