: altered from a pure state or condition: such as
a
: contaminated by or as if by dirt, impurities, or harmful organisms
tainted food
Nearby residents typically want every shovelful of tainted soil dug up and shipped far, far away.—
Gregg Easterbrook
Gregg Easterbrook… federal health authorities identified an organic produce company … as a possible source of some of the tainted spinach.—Julia Preston et al.
Julia Preston et al.Viruses are often passed along to other computers via tainted files …—J. D. Biersdorfer
J. D. Biersdorfer
b
: corrupted morally or ethically
a tainted victory
c
: damaged or spoiled by alteration from a correct or original state or form
tainted evidence
tainted testimony
Examples of tainted in a Sentence
tainted groundwater that is unfit to drink
Recent Examples on the Web
Francis’ arrival also resurrected memories of a tainted past.
—Sui-Lee Wee, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025
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
But the property may not be usable for as many as two months due to tainted water and other issues.
—Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tainted
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Sui-Lee Wee, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025
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
But the property may not be usable for as many as two months due to tainted water and other issues.
—Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tainted
Cite this Entry
“Tainted.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tainted. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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