tint
Americannoun
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a color or a variety of a color; hue.
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a color diluted with white; a color of less than maximum purity, chromo, or saturation.
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a delicate or pale color.
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any of various commercial dyes for the hair.
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Engraving. a uniform shading, as that produced by a series of fine parallel lines.
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Also called tint block. Printing. a faintly or lightly colored background upon which an illustration or the like is to be printed.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a shade of a colour, esp a pale one
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a colour that is softened or desaturated by the addition of white
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a tinge
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a semipermanent dye for the hair
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a trace or hint
a tint of jealousy in his voice
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engraving uniform shading, produced esp by hatching
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printing a panel of colour serving as a background to letters or other matter
verb
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(tr) to colour or tinge
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(tr) to change or influence slightly
his answer was tinted by his prior knowledge
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(intr) to acquire a tint
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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overtintnoun
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tinternoun
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overtintverb
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retintverb (used with object)
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nontintedadjective
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untintedadjective
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well-tintedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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tintsimple
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tintssimple
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have tintedperfect
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has tintedperfect
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am tintingprogressive
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are tintingprogressive
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is tintingprogressive
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have been tintingperfect progressive
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has been tintingperfect progressive
Past
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tintedsimple
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had tintedperfect
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was tintingprogressive
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were tintingprogressive
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had been tintingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of tint
First recorded in 1710–20; variant of tinct
Explanation
A tint is a shade or type of color. You might describe ocean water during a storm as having tints of green and gray. After you play with your dog in the snow, your cold cheeks might take on a tint of pink. And an artist might change the color of the sky in a painting with a tint of purple. Tint is also a verb, meaning "shade" or "color very slightly." So rinsing beets will probably tint your white sink. Before it evolved into tint, the word was tinct, from the Latin tinctus, "a dyeing."
Vocabulary lists containing tint
Visual Arts - Introductory
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Visual Arts - High School
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Visual Arts - Middle School
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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.
See Examples For:
Then, smart glass for windshields that will tint itself in the spot where the sun or a reflection hits it at high intensity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
As plant debris and soil organic matter wash into the lake from surrounding forests, they tint the water a deep brown.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 24, 2026
They’ve even found their way into makeup; Hailey Bieber’s brand Rhode released a popular peptide-packed lip tint last year, and you can find them in mascara, eye shadow, blush … the list goes on.
From Slate ● May 4, 2025
Of the many carotenoids found in nature, beta-carotene is the star player: a strong orange tint and high "bioavailability" — the term used to describe drug absorption — make it particularly influential.
From Salon ● Jan. 20, 2025
It showed no variation but of tint: green, where rush and moss overgrew the marshes; black, where the dry soil bore only heath.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
The red and blue of the women’s clothing echo the tints of the rainbow itself, as do smaller, random flecks of color throughout.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
Peter Csemiczky, defending, said his client apologised and had removed the tints.
From BBC ● Jan. 2, 2025
In general, colors that are tints, tones and shades of the same color will blend well together as will colors that are complimentary on a color wheel.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 30, 2024
Although there have been rare, noncommercial screenings over the years, the expiration of the copyright is what allowed Stenn to finance a restoration with the original tints.
From New York Times ● Jan. 11, 2024
He drowsed and saw the colors of the fire, the tints of green and blue and burning yellow.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
Taking an alcohol marker, he tinted the lights a soft amber, allowing him to highlight the art in the room without adding harsh overhead lighting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
They also stopped cars with faults including bald tyres, illegally tinted windows and broken seat belts.
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2026
What makes the character indelible is the ghoulish heavy makeup, a bright red wig with tiny bangs, and oversized tinted sunglasses -- a cartoonish look that has gone viral.
From Barron's ● Mar. 15, 2026
It seems apt that the glasses she uses at her computer to ease her eye strain are tinted rose.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026
Under the pavilion, the lights are dim and tinted orange in a way that makes people’s skin seem to glow.
From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli
In Turner’s view, it was worth risking Hollywood’s ire by tinting Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney if it meant more people tuning in, whether out of curiosity or in horror.
From Salon ● May 8, 2026
On a sunny day, all these growing things have a stained-glass effect, tinting the light greenish.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 28, 2023
By sunset, however, the tight ranks of clouds seemed to relent; some drifted apart, and stretches of water-washed blue set off the oranges tinting the western skies.
From Washington Post ● May 14, 2022
But on that afternoon—hot, windless—smoke drifted between the domes, tinting the scene with a sepia filter, and no one was in sight.
From Slate ● Nov. 27, 2021
Fadi glanced back at the house as the last of the sun’s rays glinted across the expanse of windows, tinting them silver.
From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai
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.
