tainted

[ teyn-tid ]

/ ˈteɪn tɪd /

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See synonyms for tainted on Thesaurus.com

adjective

infected, contaminated, corrupted, or spoiled:An outbreak of salmonella poisoning linked to eating tainted ground turkey has resulted in several deaths.

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.

(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

the simple past tense and past participle of taint¹.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of tainted

taint¹ + -ed²

OTHER WORDS FROM tainted

un·taint·ed, adjective

Words nearby tainted

Tainan, Taínaron, Taine, Taíno, taint, tainted, taintless, taipan, Taipei, Taiping, Taira

How to use tainted in a sentence

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.
Pig sex and celery have a surprising connection|PopSci Staff|September 30, 2020|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.
Wildfires, trade wars, COVID-19: The 2020 global wine harvest may go down as the most challenging yet|Bernhard Warner|September 20, 2020|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.
A third of Americans might refuse a Covid-19 vaccine. How screwed are we?|Brian Resnick|September 4, 2020|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.
Your Guide to the Many Meanings of Quantum Mechanics - Facts So Romantic|Sabine Hossenfelder|September 3, 2020|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.
Federal Prosecutors Have Steve Bannon’s Murky Nonprofit in Their Sights|by Yeganeh Torbati|August 24, 2020|ProPublica
If the allegations are false, Cosby has been grievously wronged with his reputation forever tainted.
When Your Comic Hero Is an Alleged Rapist|Doug McIntyre|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Other uteri, tainted by low, regular doses of progesterone and/or witchcraft, become evil.
Getting to Know the ‘Beyoncé Voter’|Kelly Williams Brown|July 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For weeks the information coming out of Kuala Lumpur was, at best, inconsistent and contradictory and, at worst, tainted.
Who Gagged the Search for MH370?|Clive Irving|June 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We must make it known that we have had enough of consumerism tainted with misery and blood.
The Fashion Victims of Bangladesh|Bernard-Henri Lévy|May 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There are no innocents in Bangladeshi politics and every politician is tainted by accusations of corruption.
Bangladesh’s Radical Islamists Get U.S. Backing|Kapil Komireddi|January 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If they are guilty of doing things tainted or marked with fraud, they are liable.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles
No, he will doubtless go to some friend who he thinks will tell him, and thus get his young mind tainted with impure thoughts.
The value of a praying mother|Isabel C. Byrum
As he drove under the maples, he muttered words that would have startled her as much as his tainted breath.
Tessa Wadsworth's Discipline|Jennie M. Drinkwater
Those who eat herbs never hate or fear, but those who eat other animals are tainted with both.
Kari the Elephant|Dhan Gopal Mukerji
Cream is remarkable for the rapidity with which it absorbs and becomes tainted by any unpleasant odors.
Domestic Animals|Richard L. Allen