tinge

[tinj]

verb (used with object)

tinged, tingeing, tinging. 

1. to impart a trace or slight degree of some color to; tint.

2. to impart a slight taste or smell to.

noun

1. a slight degree of coloration.

2. a slight admixture, as of some qualifying property or characteristic; trace; smattering.

   a tinge of garlic; a tinge of anger.

   Synonyms: suspicion, nuance, shade, hint

tinge

/ tɪndʒ /

noun

1. a slight tint or colouring

   her hair had a tinge of grey

2. any slight addition

verb

1. to colour or tint faintly

2. to impart a slight trace to

   her thoughts were tinged with nostalgia

Other Word Forms

• intertinge verb (used with object)
• retinge verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of tinge¹

First recorded in 1470–80, tinge is from the Latin word tingere to dye, color

Word History and Origins

Origin of tinge¹

C15: from Latin tingere to colour

Example Sentences

Buttery steaks and potatoes cooking in the kitchen tinged the air as the dance floor came alive with women spinning in dresses and men in shining shoes gliding to the rhythm of the music.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Still, he also feels a tinge of guilt.

Read more on Salon

This period saw a brilliant revitalization by Roman writers and orators of older Greek rhetorical techniques; it was “tinged with a romanticism common to movements oriented toward the distant past.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

At its core, the conflict is an ethnically tinged power struggle between Sudan’s de facto president, Lt.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But because the case is also tinged with politics, it could be more difficult to prosecute, in part by giving Bolton an opening to argue he was targeted for retribution.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• coloration 
• hue 
• tint 
• tone