tinge

1 of 2

noun

ˈtinj 

1

: a slight staining or suffusing shade or color

2

: an affective or modifying property or influence : touch

a tinge of guilt

tinge

2 of 2

verb

tinged; tingeing or tinging ˈtin-jiŋ 

transitive verb

1

a

: to color with a slight shade or stain : tint

b

: to affect or modify with a slight odor or taste

2

: to affect or modify in character

Synonyms

Noun

• shade
• tone
• color
• hue
• tint

Verb

• tint
• paint
• color
• stain
• dye
• pigment

Examples of tinge in a Sentence

Noun

showing a tinge of color

dark hair with reddish tinges

Verb

The ink tinged his fingers blue.

just slightly tinge the frosting with yellow food coloring to give it a lemony look

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

And while her music has always had a tinge of country traditions, Cyrus’s approach has always been a little more understated. —Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 14 July 2025

Small black and white spots dot the lizards’ backs, and their tails have a slight blue tinge. —Aspen Pflughoeft july 8, Miami Herald, 8 July 2025

Verb

Cut from resin and tinged with a baroque touch, the old-fashioned jewelry trend is seeing a new life on and off the catwalk. —Jessica Scemama, Glamour, 6 July 2025

The color on her lips wasn’t completely dissimilar to the shimmer on her lids and under her eyes; only the shadow above her nose was tinged with dusty brown and specks of amber. —Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 3 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Latin tingere to dip, moisten, tinge; akin to Greek tengein to moisten and probably to Old High German dunkōn to dip

First Known Use

Noun

1752, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for tinge

• binge
• cringe
• fringe
• hinge
• singe
• twinge
• impinge
• infringe
• syringe

Kids Definition

tinge

1 of 2 verb

ˈtinj 

tinged; tingeing or tinging ˈtin-jiŋ 

: to color or flavor slightly

tinge

2 of 2 noun

: a slight coloring, flavor, or quality

a reddish tinge

a tinge of mystery