tinge

1 of 2

noun

ˈtinj 

1

: a slight staining or suffusing shade or color

2

: an affective or modifying property or influence : touch

a tinge of guilt

tinge

2 of 2

verb

tinged; tingeing or tinging ˈtin-jiŋ 

transitive verb

1

a

: to color with a slight shade or stain : tint

b

: to affect or modify with a slight odor or taste

2

: to affect or modify in character

Synonyms

Noun

• cast
• color
• hue
• shade
• tincture
• tint
• tone

Verb

• bepaint [archaic]
• color
• dye
• paint
• pigment
• stain
• tincture
• tint

Examples of tinge in a Sentence

Noun

showing a tinge of color

dark hair with reddish tinges

Verb

The ink tinged his fingers blue.

just slightly tinge the frosting with yellow food coloring to give it a lemony look

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The drama is met with a tinge of humor as each character wonders who among them committed the crime. —Liza Esquibias, People.com, 30 Jan. 2025

This likely stems from his early days in Marseille, France, a city which has its share of opportunities and obstacles as a working class city with a tinge of danger. —Eric Fuller, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025

Verb

But the relief was also tinged with worry as many spoke of rebuilding their homes after more than a year of devastation. —Astha Rajvanshi, NBC News, 16 Jan. 2025

Some have been tinged with bitterness while others have brimmed with optimism. —Michael Peregrine, Chicago Tribune, 15 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Latin tingere to dip, moisten, tinge; akin to Greek tengein to moisten and probably to Old High German dunkōn to dip

First Known Use

Noun

1752, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

tinge

1 of 2 verb

ˈtinj 

tinged; tingeing or tinging ˈtin-jiŋ 

: to color or flavor slightly

tinge

2 of 2 noun

: a slight coloring, flavor, or quality

a reddish tinge

a tinge of mystery