tainted

adjective

taint·​ed ˈtān-təd 

: 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

… federal health authorities identified an organic produce company … as a possible source of some of the tainted spinach.

—Julia Preston et al.

Viruses are often passed along to other computers via tainted files …

—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

Synonyms

• adulterate
• adulterated
• alloyed
• contaminated
• dilute
• diluted
• impure
• polluted
• thinned
• weakened

Examples of tainted in a Sentence

tainted groundwater that is unfit to drink

Recent Examples on the Web

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

But Laos authorities have not given any indication of where and how tainted alcohol might have got into the supply chain. —Jessie Yeung, CNN, 27 Nov. 2024

Bianca Jones, 19, died at a hospital in Thailand after consuming the tainted alcohol. —Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 26 Nov. 2024

His fans worried about the dangers of the city, including a diet that was apparently heavy on tainted prey. —James Barron, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined above