untainted
Britishadjective
Explanation
Something that's untainted has not been spoiled or contaminated. After a flood, a homeowner is lucky to find papers and photos that are untainted by the mildew that covers most of his things. While untainted can describe things that are physically unspoiled or free from contaminants, it's more common to use the adjective to talk about the character of a person or group. A candidate with an untainted reputation has no record of controversy, and a town that's untainted by chain stores might have a more charming, old-fashioned character. The moral sense of the word — "pure," in a religious way — was the earliest meaning.
Vocabulary lists containing untainted
"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 19
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Odd One Out
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Shout
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Untainted by scandal, the probe was part of Parliament's program for determining the extent and causes of retail price spreads throughout the Dominion.
From Time Magazine Archive
Should he lie The year complete, his flesh shall yet be found Untainted, and, it may be, fragrant too.
From The Iliad of Homer Translated into English Blank Verse by William Cowper by Cowper, William
Untainted as the clearest spring, it mirrored the purity and simplicity of her life.
From The Spirit of the Border by Grey, Zane
The kiss, dear maid! thy lip has left Shall never part from mine, Till happier hours restore the gift Untainted back to thine.
From The Works of Lord Byron. Vol. 3 by Coleridge, Ernest Hartley
It is wise to discern Between one's mask And self Before life exposes Untainted features to humanity, The one body Which is utterly ruthless In its judgment.
From Through these Eyes The courageous struggle to find meaning in a life stressed with cancer by Isaacson, Lauren Ann
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
