tainted
Americanadjective
-
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
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tainted
Explanation
If something's tainted, it's ruined or spoiled. If you leave milk on the counter overnight, it could be tainted. But a charity that uses its funds to buy board members tropical vacations could also be considered tainted. The adjective tainted describes a person or thing that's been touched by rot or corruption. Many think that young minds can become morally tainted by violence on TV. If evidence at a crime scene is handled improperly, it could be considered tainted and can't be used at trial. You've probably heard about foods like spinach and peanut butter being recalled because they have been potentially tainted with salmonella.
Vocabulary lists containing tainted
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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.
The 2010 competition would later be tainted by a corruption scandal.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
The money, in their view, not only has to make up for mounting legal fees, but lost income, tainted reputations, fractured families, and years spent behind bars.
From Slate • May 28, 2026
Justice Clarence Thomas pointed to a rarely enforced 1996 law that authorized suits against those who “use property tainted by a past confiscation.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
But such is the scale and seriousness of the charges, in such an event, critics will inevitably argue that his many accomplishments are tainted, even those that occurred after the period the case relates to.
From BBC • May 19, 2026
The magistrate accepted the copybook reluctantly, as though it were tainted.
From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare
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.
