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taint
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- pronunciation:
- teInt
- parts of speech:
- transitive verb, intransitive verb, noun
- features:
- Word Combinations (verb, noun)
| part of speech: |
transitive verb |
| inflections: |
taints, tainting, tainted |
| definition 1: |
to slightly corrupt or pollute.
Her surly manner tainted her beauty.Sulfur tainted the water supply.- synonyms:
- blemish, defile, mar, sully
- antonyms:
- enhance, purify
- similar words:
- adulterate, cloud, contaminate, corrupt, debase, infect, pollute, spoil, vitiate
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| definition 2: |
to tarnish, as with moral wrongness.
Their victory was tainted by the suspicion that they had cheated.- synonyms:
- defile, degrade, pollute, stain, sully, tarnish
- similar words:
- corrupt, debase, infect, smear, spoil
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| related words: |
blacken, canker, color, defile, disgrace, mar, poison, rot, soil, sully |
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| part of speech: |
intransitive verb |
| definition: |
to become tainted.
- synonyms:
- tarnish
- similar words:
- corrupt, decay, degrade, go, rot, spoil, turn
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| related words: |
putrefy, tarnish |
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| part of speech: |
noun |
| definition 1: |
a small amount of something harmful, offensive, unhealthy, or the like.
- synonyms:
- adulterant, contaminant, pollutant, virus
- similar words:
- canker, poison
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| definition 2: |
a hint or trace of moral wrongness.
the taint of associating with a criminal- synonyms:
- blemish, smear, stain
- similar words:
- blot, spot, tarnish
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| related words: |
vice |
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| derivation: |
tainted (adj.) |
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