taint

1 of 3

verb

ˈtānt 

tainted; tainting; taints

transitive verb

1

: to contaminate morally : corrupt

scholarship tainted by envy

2

: to affect with putrefaction : spoil

3

: to touch or affect slightly with something bad

persons tainted with prejudice

intransitive verb

1

: to become affected with putrefaction : spoil

2

obsolete : to become weak

taint

2 of 3

noun (1)

plural taints

: a contaminating mark or influence

the taint of scandal

taintless

ˈtānt-ləs 

adjective

taint

3 of 3

noun (2)

plural taints

vulgar slang

: the area between the anus and the posterior part of the external genitalia : perineum

Synonyms

Verb

• blemish
• darken
• mar
• poison
• spoil
• stain
• tarnish
• touch
• vitiate

Noun (1)

• blot
• brand
• onus
• slur
• smirch
• smudge
• spot
• stain
• stigma

Choose the Right Synonym for taint

contaminate, taint, pollute, defile mean to make impure or unclean.

contaminate implies intrusion of or contact with dirt or foulness from an outside source.

water contaminated by industrial wastes

taint stresses the loss of purity or cleanliness that follows contamination.

tainted meat

a politician's tainted reputation

pollute, sometimes interchangeable with contaminate, distinctively may imply that the process which begins with contamination is complete and that what was pure or clean has been made foul, poisoned, or filthy.

the polluted waters of the river

defile implies befouling of what could or should have been kept clean and pure or held sacred and commonly suggests violation or desecration.

defile a hero's memory with slanderous innuendo

Examples of taint in a Sentence

Verb

criticism of her sister's singing that was tainted by envy

a tendency toward conceitedness taints the athlete's status as a role model

Noun (1)

that rare political campaign that wasn't marred by the taint of false accusations

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Trump's legal team has repeatedly accused her of impropriety and cast the indictment against him as tainted because of the relationship, which Willis publicly acknowledged. —April Rubin, Axios, 9 Jan. 2025

The judge also pushed back on Trump’s claim that the verdict should be set aside because the jury was tainted. —Ted Johnson, Deadline, 3 Jan. 2025

Noun

Wexler regrets one thing: that his campaign had no time to check on who was behind the Noise Pollution Action Fund, as the press did so quickly after he was endorsed — too late in the campaign for Wexler to escape the taint. —Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025

The sordid origin story of infidelity that explains Elphaba’s birth and dysfunctional family taints everything that follows. —Armond White, National Review, 27 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English teynten to color & taynten to attaint; Middle English teynten, from Anglo-French teinter, from teint, past participle of teindre, from Latin tingere; Middle English taynten, short for attaynten — more at tinge, attain

Noun (2)

respelling of 'tain't, contraction of it ain't, implying that this area of the body is neither the anus nor the genitalia

First Known Use

Verb

1573, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (1)

1601, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1955, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

taint

1 of 2 verb

ˈtānt 

1

: to touch or affect slightly with something bad

2

: spoil entry 2 sense 2c, decay

taint

2 of 2 noun

1

: a trace of decay : stain

2

: a spoiling influence

taintless

-ləs 

adjective

Legal Definition

taint

transitive verb

ˈtānt 

: to damage or destroy the validity of

evidence tainted by an illegal search

taint noun