as in stain
a mark of guilt or disgrace
that rare political campaign that wasn't marred by the taint of false accusations
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to poison
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 to pollute
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 taint
Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 13 Jan. 2025
The trials have been stuck in pretrial hearings, two for more than a decade, that have focused on the taint of their torture; how much the prisoners’ lawyers, and the public, could know about it; and efforts to have cases dismissed because of it.
—Carol Rosenberg, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025
CBS News, 15 Feb. 2025
Avoiding them is all but impossible in a world where water supplies are tainted and babies suckle on plastic bottles from their earliest days on earth.
—Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for taint
Noun
While Weiss had rejected any taint of politics in his approach, the investigation was the subject of much congressional scrutiny.
—Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 13 Jan. 2025
The trials have been stuck in pretrial hearings, two for more than a decade, that have focused on the taint of their torture; how much the prisoners’ lawyers, and the public, could know about it; and efforts to have cases dismissed because of it.
—Carol Rosenberg, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025
Verb
Following the union win, Whole Foods asked the NLRB to toss out the election results, arguing the voting process was tainted.
—CBS News, 15 Feb. 2025
Avoiding them is all but impossible in a world where water supplies are tainted and babies suckle on plastic bottles from their earliest days on earth.
—Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for taint
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taint
Noun
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Many stain removal methods call for dish detergents to be used.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
2 Mar. 2025
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Kitchens are good places for synthetic runners that shrug off stains and are easy to clean.—
BestReviews,
The Mercury News,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Sergio Pino’s attorney Deanna Shifrin denied the poisoning allegations, pointing to comments Tatiana made in a December 2023 deposition stating that no healthcare provider had concluded she had been poisoned.—
Douglas Hanks,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2025
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Today sends a message to every cartel leader, every trafficker, every criminal poisoning our communities: You will be held accountable.—
Polo Sandoval,
CNN,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The dresser is GreenGuard approved, meaning it’s been screened for more than 10,000 chemicals known to pollute indoor air.—
Christopher Murray,
Fox News,
28 Feb. 2025
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Since fast fashion exists to keep up with rapidly changing trends, a striking 85% of clothes end up in landfills every year, polluting the environment.—
Grace Butler,
USA TODAY,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
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There, an opaque, baseball-size blot was visible on his imaging results.—
ByMeredith Wadman,
science.org,
16 Jan. 2025
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The cleaning process is the same as with wool rugs: blot with warm water, working from the outer edge inward.—
Jennifer Beck Goldblatt,
Architectural Digest,
9 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Dodge won't spoil the surprise by confirming if the last one will be based on the Charger or the Challenger (or maybe both), but the evidence suggests the latter is more likely.—
Jack Fitzgerald,
Car and Driver,
13 Feb. 2023
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Farmers’ broiler chickens suffocate, and dairy products spoil.—
Monica Mark,
The Christian Science Monitor,
10 Feb. 2023
Verb
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The product has the potential to be contaminated with salmonella, the FDA warns.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Feb. 2025
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The shakes are believed to be contaminated with Listeria.—
Cindy Krischer Goodman,
Sun Sentinel,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
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In 2018, Henson created the Boris L. Henson Foundation, which exists to both normalize and improve access to mental health services for Black communities in hopes of eradicating the stigma around seeking help and support.—
Katcy Stephan,
Variety,
5 Mar. 2025
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But for some reason, a lot of people attach failure to a stigma.—
Nathan Furr,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
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His final season was marred by a shoulder injury and insufficient QB play, but Loveland still led the Wolverines in receptions (56), receiving yards (582) and receiving TDs (five).—
Eddie Brown,
The Mercury News,
27 Feb. 2025
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The election took place seven months earlier than originally planned after Scholz’s unpopular coalition collapsed in November, three years into a term that was increasingly marred by infighting.—
Vanessa Gera,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Taint.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taint. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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