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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of taint
Kale Williams, Axios, 12 Feb. 2025
These were the years in which capitalism shed its pitiless light on the absurd British soul, with its deep striations of caste and station, its postcolonial taint, most of all its perverted emotional core, full of love and loathing for its own extremes of domination and servitude.
—Rachel Cusk, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 7 May 2025
Weinstein is being tried again after New York’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, last year overturned his 2020 conviction and 23-year prison sentence and ordered a new trial, finding that improper rulings and prejudicial testimony tainted the original one.
—Jennifer Peltz, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for taint
Noun
Driving the news: Researchers from Oregon State sent a bunch of Oregon pinot — some with smoke taint, some smoke-free — over to New Zealand for a taste test.
—Kale Williams, Axios, 12 Feb. 2025
These were the years in which capitalism shed its pitiless light on the absurd British soul, with its deep striations of caste and station, its postcolonial taint, most of all its perverted emotional core, full of love and loathing for its own extremes of domination and servitude.
—Rachel Cusk, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
Verb
The movement also was tainted by instances of rampant antisemitism, which Khalil disavowed.
—Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 7 May 2025
Weinstein is being tried again after New York’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, last year overturned his 2020 conviction and 23-year prison sentence and ordered a new trial, finding that improper rulings and prejudicial testimony tainted the original one.
—Jennifer Peltz, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for taint
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taint
Noun
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Choose a bright, cheery yellow paint or opt for a deep chocolate stain with white window trim for a classic cabin vibe.—
Brittany VanDerBill,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 May 2025
-
Yves Saint Laurent Vinyl Cream Lip Stain $41 $30 Nordstrom Rack YSL's Vinyl Cream Lip Stain brings the staying power of a lip stain and the shine factor of a gloss.—
Annie Blackman,
Allure,
23 May 2025
Verb
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As the film unfolds, Wilson finds out that Sterns, the movie's villain, has been the mastermind behind the entire plot and has been poisoning Ross with gamma rays via pills for years.—
Caroline Blair,
People.com,
28 May 2025
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Intermediately, because a member of Ethan’s team, Claire (Emmanuelle Béart) has poisoned Donloe, which results in Donloe having some pretty intense gastrointestinal reactions.—
Mike Ryan,
IndieWire,
27 May 2025
Verb
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In recent weeks, the flaws in the technology have crossed over into absurd territory: For example, by generating a summer reading list of fake books and legal documents polluted with serious errors and fabrications.—
Ryan Faughnder,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2025
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The Hazel Johnson ordinance grew out of a 2020 federal civil rights complaint filed by the Southeast Environmental Task Force and other groups challenging the city’s concentration of polluting industries in certain neighborhoods.—
Brian J. Rogal,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2025
Noun
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That brings us to that one blot on Wodehouse’s life.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Apr. 2025
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The ink blots of the past 20 years are dried all over Metal Gear Solid Delta.—
Ashley Bardhan,
Rolling Stone,
6 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
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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But fresh produce can also cause infections, for example, if they are washed during processing with water contaminated with salmonella.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
21 May 2025
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However, you may be exposed to aluminum through other sources, such as certain workplace environments and contaminated water.95 FDA Warning The FDA considers antiperspirants generally safe to use.—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
20 May 2025
Noun
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The transition to the name MASH was done to take away some of the stigma associated with older terminology.—
Suchandrima Bhowmik,
Health,
31 May 2025
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Millennials courageously started talking openly about therapy, anxiety, and depression, breaking decades of stigma.—
Charell G. Coleman,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
Verb
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However, relatively decent growth fueled by Putin's record military spending has been marred by inflation and a worker shortage impacted by those fleeing the draft and troop losses in Ukraine as experts warn of longer terms problems for the economy.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 May 2025
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Lynch’s first winter as CEO was marred by long lift lines and employee shortages driven by COVID-19.—
Kurt Badenhausen,
Sportico.com,
27 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Taint.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taint. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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