tainted

[ teyn-tid ]

adjective

1. infected, contaminated, corrupted, or spoiled:

   An outbreak of salmonella poisoning linked to eating tainted ground turkey has resulted in several deaths.

2. affected by a trace of something bad, offensive, or harmful:

   We strongly urge you to distance your charitable organization from this discredited project and its tainted money.

3. (of the name, reputation, etc., of a person or group) sullied or tarnished:

   Having such a program available to these students could help fix the tainted reputation many feel our school has earned.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of taint ¹.

Other Words From

• un·taint·ed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tainted¹

taint ¹( def ) + -ed ²( def )

Example Sentences

Some folks may even recognize the smell of celery as resembling the odor of “boar taint,” which has nothing to do with a pig’s backside, but is still kind of nasty.

From Popular-Science

Testing facilities are so swamped that no one knows how widespread taint is, and Napa’s varied topography, wind, and weather patterns mean that areas have different levels of exposure to smoke-filled air.

From Fortune

It requires not just developing a safe vaccine, approved without the taint of a political rush job, but also a vast social science research effort to better understand people’s anxieties about the vaccine, and then help move them toward acceptance.

From Vox

Nevertheless, metaphysics matters, in my mind, because philosophical preconceptions, especially those we don’t acknowledge, taint which theories we are even willing to engage with.

From Nautilus

That “removes all self-interest taint” and gives “Brian Kolfage saint hood,” stated Andrew Badolato, a longtime Bannon associate who was also indicted, in a text to Bannon that prosecutors quoted.

From ProPublica

If the allegations are false, Cosby has been grievously wronged with his reputation forever tainted.

From The Daily Beast

Other uteri, tainted by low, regular doses of progesterone and/or witchcraft, become evil.

From The Daily Beast

For weeks the information coming out of Kuala Lumpur was, at best, inconsistent and contradictory and, at worst, tainted.

From The Daily Beast

We must make it known that we have had enough of consumerism tainted with misery and blood.

From The Daily Beast

There are no innocents in Bangladeshi politics and every politician is tainted by accusations of corruption.

From The Daily Beast

If they are guilty of doing things tainted or marked with fraud, they are liable.

From Project Gutenberg

No, he will doubtless go to some friend who he thinks will tell him, and thus get his young mind tainted with impure thoughts.

From Project Gutenberg

As he drove under the maples, he muttered words that would have startled her as much as his tainted breath.

From Project Gutenberg

Those who eat herbs never hate or fear, but those who eat other animals are tainted with both.

From Project Gutenberg

Cream is remarkable for the rapidity with which it absorbs and becomes tainted by any unpleasant odors.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• contaminated
• corrupted
• dirty
• infected
• polluted
• rotten