as in polluted
containing foreign or lower-grade substances
tainted groundwater that is unfit to drink
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in poisoned
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in contaminated
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tainted
Helen Regan, CNN, 25 Nov. 2024
But publishers are often slow to retract tainted papers, even when alerted to obvious fraud.
—Ars Technica, 31 Jan. 2025
Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 19 Dec. 2024
The effects of drinking raw milk tainted with bird flu are still uncertain.
—Katherine Hignett, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for tainted
Adjective
But Laos authorities have not given any indication of where and how tainted alcohol might have been served.
—Helen Regan, CNN, 25 Nov. 2024
But publishers are often slow to retract tainted papers, even when alerted to obvious fraud.
—Ars Technica, 31 Jan. 2025
Verb
But the appeals court said the appearance of a conflict still tainted Willis’ handling of the case.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 19 Dec. 2024
The effects of drinking raw milk tainted with bird flu are still uncertain.
—Katherine Hignett, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for tainted
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tainted
Verb
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That number includes children, who represent 16 percent of those poisoned and 27 percent of all fatalities.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Apr. 2025
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And guess what, hospitals are seeing cases of vitamin A toxicity — of kids poisoned by being fed too many vitamins instead of being vaccinated.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The freeze and thaw cycle of the area was causing the contaminated material to come to the surface, Nadel said.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
5 June 2025
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This has forced many families to collect water from unsafe and contaminated sources, increasing the risk of cholera and other deadly waterborne diseases, especially in overcrowded neighborhoods and displacement sites.—
Maryanne Murray Buechner,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
Verb
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The decision was not marred by procedural unfairness.—
Simon Perry,
People.com,
8 Apr. 2025
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Lennon's notoriously troubled upbringing was marred by paternal abandonment, frequent moves, and the sudden death of those closest to him, including his estranged mother Julia.—
Jordan Runtagh,
People.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Net income for the three months ended May 3 rose to $193 million, or diluted earnings per share of 51 cents, up from $158 million, or 42 cents, a year earlier.—
David Moin,
Footwear News,
29 May 2025
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Slugs have no such protection, so the diluted cold coffee solution is deadly for them.—
Leanne Potts,
Better Homes & Gardens,
28 May 2025
Adjective
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Vinegar, which is really dilute acetic acid, will help the milk curdle by further denaturing the whey proteins and neutralizing negative charges at the surface of casein micelles.—
Liz Roth-Johnson,
Discover Magazine,
12 Feb. 2013
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However toxic a substance may be, the amount of exposure received by the general population is very dilute.—
George Johnson,
Discover Magazine,
8 July 2013
Adjective
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The company in 2020 pleaded guilty to distributing adulterated ice-cream products and agreed to pay a fine over the outbreak.—
Dylan Tokar,
WSJ,
2 Feb. 2023
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And while most of those overdoses involved the illicit synthetic opioid fentanyl, experts say that an adulterated and contaminated drug supply is also leading to deaths.—
Nadia Kounang,
CNN,
17 Mar. 2022
Adjective
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Asian equities delivered mixed performance overnight on hopes that a phone call between President Trump and President Xi would take place this week.—
Brendan Ahern,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
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This summery trend started on TikTok, and is characterized by neutral colors, woven textiles, vintage accents, mixed metals, and bold pops of primary colors (yes, tomato red included!).—
Cori Sears,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tainted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tainted. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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