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
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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
Rochelle Blease, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2025
Some of that tainted groundwater also is being pumped back to the plant for cooling before being released into White River.
—Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 5 Aug. 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
In 2024, for example, the FDA issued warnings about online sales of tainted weight loss supplements.
—Rochelle Blease, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2025
Some of that tainted groundwater also is being pumped back to the plant for cooling before being released into White River.
—Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 5 Aug. 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
-
That number includes children, who represent 16 percent of those poisoned and 27 percent of all fatalities.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Apr. 2025
-
And guess what, hospitals are seeing cases of vitamin A toxicity — of kids poisoned by being fed too many vitamins instead of being vaccinated.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Nearly 80,000 people get vibrio infections each year, mostly as a result of eating contaminated food.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
30 Aug. 2025
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With safe, clean water increasingly difficult to access, children have little choice but to drink contaminated water.—
Sarah Ferguson,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The decision was not marred by procedural unfairness.—
Simon Perry,
People.com,
8 Apr. 2025
-
Lennon's notoriously troubled upbringing was marred by paternal abandonment, frequent moves, and the sudden death of those closest to him, including his estranged mother Julia.—
Jordan Runtagh,
People.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Applied Materials reported $1.78 billion in net income, or $2.22 per diluted share in the quarter, versus $1.71 billion or $2.05 in the year-ago period.—
Kif Leswing,
CNBC,
14 Aug. 2025
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Real estate funds from operations (FFO) were $1.15 billion, or $3.05 per diluted share, as compared to $1.1 billion, or $2.93 per diluted share, in the prior year, an increase of 4.1 percent.—
David Moin,
Footwear News,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
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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However, research is mixed, with some studies finding benefits and others showing no effect.—
Sarah Garone,
Health,
14 Aug. 2025
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The monthly consumer price index was mixed, showing some impacts from tariffs but some price declines in large categories.—
Diana Olick,
CNBC,
13 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tainted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tainted. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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