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.
His prolonged absence from America also gave Lafayette a unique aura among the heroes of the Revolution, as he alone was untainted by the partisan politics that had followed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Unlike Cricket, Olympia is earnest and sincere about her art in the way that only a young person untainted by cynicism can be.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
Want to take your ailments to someplace untainted by PE?
From Slate ● Mar. 17, 2026
Anisa Niaz-Dickinson, representing Liverpool, argued that decision was "reasonable" and "untainted" by racial bias.
From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2025
She would not touch death; therefore, untainted, she brought only health from house to house.
From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
