tainted

adjective

taint·​ed ˈtān-təd 

: 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

… federal health authorities identified an organic produce company … as a possible source of some of the tainted spinach.

—Julia Preston et al.

Viruses are often passed along to other computers via tainted files …

—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

Synonyms

• adulterate
• adulterated
• alloyed
• contaminated
• dilute
• diluted
• impure
• polluted
• thinned
• weakened

Examples of tainted in a Sentence

tainted groundwater that is unfit to drink

Recent Examples on the Web

Without this work, however, outbreaks of foodborne illness might never be spotted or traced back to a tainted ingredient, and more people would get sick and die. —Brenda Goodman, CNN, 2 Nov. 2024

Following the Vatican leaks and Benedict’s tainted legacy, Bergoglio aims to deliver his resignation but is met with resistance by the acting Pope, who has other plans for the Cardinal. —EW.com, 14 Sep. 2024

They had been laid out in tainted rooms, their eyelids glistening, their dough-white hands shackled in rosary beads. —Maggie Doherty, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024

An investigation found that six children died and 300,000 got sick from drinking the tainted formula. —Pei-Lin Wu, Washington Post, 11 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined above