as in polluted
containing foreign or lower-grade substances
tainted groundwater that is unfit to drink
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in poisoned
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
criticism of her sister's singing that was tainted by envy a tendency toward conceitedness taints the athlete's status as a role model
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in contaminated
to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable
smog has long tainted the air of the city, making it difficult to breathe
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tainted
Jessie Yeung, CNN, 27 Nov. 2024
Bianca Jones, 19, died at a hospital in Thailand after consuming the tainted alcohol.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 26 Nov. 2024
Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 19 Dec. 2024
The effects of drinking raw milk tainted with bird flu are still uncertain.
—Katherine Hignett, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tainted 
Adjective
But Laos authorities have not given any indication of where and how tainted alcohol might have got into the supply chain.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN, 27 Nov. 2024
Bianca Jones, 19, died at a hospital in Thailand after consuming the tainted alcohol.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 26 Nov. 2024
Verb
But the appeals court said the appearance of a conflict still tainted Willis’ handling of the case.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 19 Dec. 2024
The effects of drinking raw milk tainted with bird flu are still uncertain.
—Katherine Hignett, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tainted
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tainted
Verb
-
Drugs, success, and conflicting personalities had poisoned members’ relationships.—
Aaron Gilbreath,
SPIN,
31 Dec. 2024
-
The iconic American bird was almost wiped out in the 1960s due to the pesticide DDT, which poisoned the eagles and made their eggs weak and flimsy.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
It's found in contaminated water and food, explains Ivers, which then produces a toxin in the small intestine that leads to the severe diarrhea and rapid fluid loss.—
Daryl Austin,
USA TODAY,
16 Feb. 2025
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Although the contaminated water isn't getting into the region's drinking water, people and animals could still be exposed to the bacteria.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
12 Feb. 2025
Verb
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But others argue these budget controls are ensuring Connecticut won’t return to the 2010s, a decade marred by frequent annual deficits and some of the largest tax hikes in state history.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
4 Jan. 2025
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The couple welcomed two children, True, 6, and Tatum, 2, but their romance was marred by Thompson's multiple cheating scandals.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
4 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Basic and diluted loss per share was $0.13, down from $0.35.—
Quartz Intelligence Newsroom,
Quartz,
7 Feb. 2025
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Looking ahead, the company projected 2025 diluted earnings per share in the range of $3.80 to $4.15, versus $3.82 in 2024.—
Vicki M. Young,
Sourcing Journal,
5 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Vinegar, which is really dilute acetic acid, will help the milk curdle by further denaturing the whey proteins and neutralizing negative charges at the surface of casein micelles.—
Liz Roth-Johnson,
Discover Magazine,
12 Feb. 2013
-
However toxic a substance may be, the amount of exposure received by the general population is very dilute.—
George Johnson,
Discover Magazine,
8 July 2013
Adjective
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The company in 2020 pleaded guilty to distributing adulterated ice-cream products and agreed to pay a fine over the outbreak.—
Dylan Tokar,
WSJ,
2 Feb. 2023
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And while most of those overdoses involved the illicit synthetic opioid fentanyl, experts say that an adulterated and contaminated drug supply is also leading to deaths.—
Nadia Kounang,
CNN,
17 Mar. 2022
Adjective
-
Trump's success record at Supreme Court mixed Trump’s record at the Supreme Court during his first administration was mixed.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA TODAY,
16 Feb. 2025
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But their tens of billions of dollars’ worth of weapons and financial aid have shown mixed results.—
Scott Peterson,
The Christian Science Monitor,
14 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near tainted
Cite this Entry
“Tainted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tainted. Accessed 23 Feb. 2025.
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