tainted

American  

[teyn-tid] / ˈteɪn tɪd /

adjective

1. infected, contaminated, corrupted, or spoiled.

   An outbreak of salmonella poisoning linked to eating tainted ground turkey has resulted in several deaths.

2. affected by a trace of something bad, offensive, or harmful.

   We strongly urge you to distance your charitable organization from this discredited project and its tainted money.

3. (of the name, reputation, etc., of a person or group) sullied or tarnished.

   Having such a program available to these students could help fix the tainted reputation many feel our school has earned.

---

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of taint.

Other Word Forms

• untainted adjective

Etymology

Origin of tainted

taint ¹ ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

The first captivates via a young man’s earnest effusiveness; the second’s effusiveness, tainted by lovelorn glum, deepens.

From Los Angeles Times

The UK Foreign Office has added a further 11 countries to its list warning of the risks of methanol poisoning from tainted alcoholic drinks.

From BBC

“This kid is real. He’s not jaded or tainted by anything yet. And to Netflix’s credit, they took a chance on him.”

From Los Angeles Times

Even a tainted winner gets initial buzz and can change standards for competition.

From The Wall Street Journal

With the York brand now tainted beyond repair, who they choose to celebrate with may be a sign of who they will align with in future.

From BBC

Related Words

• contaminated
• corrupted
• dirty
• infected
• polluted
• rotten