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
Paige St. John, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
Related article Father of Australian teen who died in Laos urges government ‘to protect others’ from tainted alcohol
McIntosh’s family have launched a GoFundMe page to raise money for their travel to Sri Lanka.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN, 7 Feb. 2025
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
Packaging for the tainted product carried a state cannabis sticker but bore no state license number or manufacturer name.
—Paige St. John, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
Related article Father of Australian teen who died in Laos urges government ‘to protect others’ from tainted alcohol
McIntosh’s family have launched a GoFundMe page to raise money for their travel to Sri Lanka.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN, 7 Feb. 2025
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
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So far, 96 of those samples were negative by polymerase chain reaction testing, or PCR, which detects live virus as well as inactive viral particles, indicating that those cheeses probably weren’t made with contaminated milk.—
Brenda Goodman,
CNN,
14 Mar. 2025
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Once notified of the problem, the three local governments reacted by curtailing use of their contaminated wells and relying more on uncontaminated wells.—
Kevin Spear,
Orlando Sentinel,
28 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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Earnings per diluted share increased to $1.36 from $1.24.—
Quartz Intelligence Newsroom,
Quartz,
14 Mar. 2025
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Net income for the fourth quarter jumped to $104.3 million, or 54 cents a diluted share, from $6.3 million, or 3 cents, a year earlier, when $131 million impairment and restructuring charges dragged down results.—
Evan Clark,
WWD,
12 Mar. 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
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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
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The Democratic embrace of influencers has also yielded mixed early results.—
Matt Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Mar. 2025
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And in spite of early mixed reviews, it's become a staple in the rom-com canon, thanks in large part of Roberts and Gere's undeniable onscreen chemistry.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
People.com,
23 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tainted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tainted. Accessed 27 Mar. 2025.
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