: altered from a pure state or condition: such as
a
: contaminated by or as if by dirt, impurities, or harmful organisms
tainted food
Nearby residents typically want every shovelful of tainted soil dug up and shipped far, far away.—
Gregg Easterbrook
Gregg Easterbrook… federal health authorities identified an organic produce company … as a possible source of some of the tainted spinach.—Julia Preston et al.
Julia Preston et al.Viruses are often passed along to other computers via tainted files …—J. D. Biersdorfer
J. D. Biersdorfer
b
: corrupted morally or ethically
a tainted victory
c
: damaged or spoiled by alteration from a correct or original state or form
tainted evidence
tainted testimony
Examples of tainted in a Sentence
tainted groundwater that is unfit to drink
Recent Examples on the Web
But publishers are often slow to retract tainted papers, even when alerted to obvious fraud.
—Ars Technica, 31 Jan. 2025
Publishers, however, are often slow to retract tainted papers, even when alerted to obvious signs of fraud.
—Guillaume Cabanac, The Conversation, 29 Jan. 2025
As a Senate aide early in his career, Zeller investigated a tainted L-tryptophan supplement that killed at least 30 people and sickened thousands in the U.S. in 1989.
—Arthur Allen, CNN, 26 Feb. 2025
Francis’ arrival also resurrected memories of a tainted past.
—Sui-Lee Wee, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tainted
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Ars Technica, 31 Jan. 2025
Publishers, however, are often slow to retract tainted papers, even when alerted to obvious signs of fraud.
—Guillaume Cabanac, The Conversation, 29 Jan. 2025
As a Senate aide early in his career, Zeller investigated a tainted L-tryptophan supplement that killed at least 30 people and sickened thousands in the U.S. in 1989.
—Arthur Allen, CNN, 26 Feb. 2025
Francis’ arrival also resurrected memories of a tainted past.
—Sui-Lee Wee, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tainted
Cite this Entry
“Tainted.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tainted. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
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