1
as in marring
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in polluting
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tainting
Played by cisgender actress Kathleen Turner, Charles proved to be one of the more divisive characters from Friends, tainting its cultural legacy for some critics.
—
Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Feb. 2026
Infected people and dogs had to be prevented from tainting water sources.
—Dan Raby, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
Judges typically allow for questioning of prospective jurors who may have a bias separately from the larger pool of jurors to avoid tainting others.
—John Diedrich, jsonline.com, 12 Dec. 2025
And there's also issues of tainting the jury pool.
—Stepheny Price , Michael Ruiz , Adam Sabes , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 11 Dec. 2025
But there’s a taste of ash tainting the popcorn thrills.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Nov. 2025
In its new filing, Mangione’s defense team expressed concern about tainting the pool of prospective jurors.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2025
In the end, when Malcolm pulls out a sword on him, Brian is given little choice but to kill Malcolm in front of Ellen in the ensuing battle, tainting the start of the happy couple’s life together.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2025
Rahmani, the former prosecutor, said statements by Patel and other Justice Department officials could raise concerns about tainting the jury pool in a future trial.
—Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2025
Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Feb. 2026
Infected people and dogs had to be prevented from tainting water sources.
—Dan Raby, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
Judges typically allow for questioning of prospective jurors who may have a bias separately from the larger pool of jurors to avoid tainting others.
—John Diedrich, jsonline.com, 12 Dec. 2025
And there's also issues of tainting the jury pool.
—Stepheny Price , Michael Ruiz , Adam Sabes , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 11 Dec. 2025
But there’s a taste of ash tainting the popcorn thrills.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Nov. 2025
In its new filing, Mangione’s defense team expressed concern about tainting the pool of prospective jurors.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2025
In the end, when Malcolm pulls out a sword on him, Brian is given little choice but to kill Malcolm in front of Ellen in the ensuing battle, tainting the start of the happy couple’s life together.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2025
Rahmani, the former prosecutor, said statements by Patel and other Justice Department officials could raise concerns about tainting the jury pool in a future trial.
—Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tainting
Verb
-
Ancient lava fields can be seen as dark lunar maria marring the silvery lunar surface, which themselves are threaded with bright streaks of reflective debris strewn across the surface by violent asteroid strikes.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The demoralizing graffiti marring the main entrance to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 360 Lenox Ave.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
California’s standards have spurred important technological innovations for vehicles, including new types of less-polluting gasoline and vehicles that emit no pollution at all.—
Ann E. Carlson,
The Conversation,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The only thing standing in the way of progress is the powerful plastics and fossil fuel lobbyists — hired by the same companies responsible for polluting our planet and bodies with plastic and its toxic chemicals.—
Shanna Swan,
New York Daily News,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Without spoiling too much, Kane and Palk get to bond over their Kansas City roots in the beginning of the show.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The Angels lost to the Mariners, 3-1 in 10 innings, on Friday, spoiling the home opener for an Angel Stadium sell-out crowd of 44,931.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In the Middle Ages, local churchgoers whispered of clannish Jews poisoning wells to kill Christian children and steal their blood for their rituals.—
Mike Rothschild,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
-
After Kouri Richins was charged with murder for fatally poisoning her husband with fentanyl, a friend of the Utah mother of three had a difficult time reconciling that.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Studies have found that embarrassment around menstruation remains common, with many girls reporting anxiety about leaks, staining or being noticed by peers.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
-
So, Navon and her husband undertook a full restoration, sanding and staining them a honey-oak hue that warms up the home from the ground up.—
Shagun Khare,
The Spruce,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Although banned in Venezuela, mercury remains prevalent in mining areas, contaminating rivers and exposing workers and nearby communities to toxic effects.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
24 Mar. 2026
-
These compounds do not break down in the environment and can easily migrate into the air, dust, food and soil, also contaminating nearly half the drinking water in the United States.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The image below shows the SLS freeing itself of Earth, hauling the Artemis 2 mission to the darkening skies above Florida.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
2 Apr. 2026
-
This linen-blend pinch pleated option is light-filtering—in other words, not as dense as room-darkening curtains or blackout designs—and available in 38 colors, with curtain rings and rods sold separately.—
Nashia Baker,
Architectural Digest,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Duggar is charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim less than 12 years old and lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 years or older for allegedly inappropriately touching a 9-year-old girl during a family vacation back in 2020.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
31 Mar. 2026
-
In your dominant hand, align the knife blade flat against the rod, and then tilt away until the slope of your knife’s edge is the only portion touching the rod.—
Jesse Raub,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tainting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tainting. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
