TAINTING Synonyms: 80 Similar and Opposite Words

tainting

verb

present participle of taint

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

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 Several homeowners near Meta’s massive Newton County data center have filed a lawsuit accusing the tech company and others of tainting their water and destroying their rural way of life. — Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 1 Sep. 2026 For all intents and purposes, an unknown actor can wade unburdened into the depths of Bond, able to transform without a viewer’s prior expectation tainting the image of 007. — Emily Maskell, IndieWire, 10 July 2026 District Court Judge Tony Graf ordered measures to prevent the comments by Utah County prosecutor Christopher Ballard from tainting potential jurors should the case go to trial. — Reuters, NBC news, 26 June 2026 The case has attracted enormous media attention and concerns from both sides about misinformation tainting the potential jury pool. — Rebecca Boone, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026 Protagonist Jo’s mother disappeared when Jo was a teen, tainting her daughter with the stain of possible witchcraft. — Literary Hub, 2 June 2026 At a time of intensifying divisions at home, a depiction of Ecuador could offer an Edenic, new-world landscape free from the partisanship tainting Church’s New England landscapes. — Sebastian Smee, New Yorker, 4 May 2026 Now, streaming is tainting the postseason. — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 15 Apr. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tainting

Verb

The Trib is withholding Nick’s full name to avoid marring his reputation in the eyes of future employers or others who might run a search on him.

— Kate Payne, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026
The latter track takes overt inspiration from Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film Marie Antoinette, as Jepsen beckons her love to engage in life’s vices with her, like marring bedsheets with fruit stains and dashing nude through the garden.

— Jaeden Pinder, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of marring

Verb

This means the development of new clean energy sources will provide greater financial benefits to families rather than polluting, expensive, and outdated sources of energy like oil and gas.

— Sanya Carley, Time, 7 Oct. 2026
Many off-grid communities have long relied on costly, polluting diesel generators.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of polluting

Verb

In Season Two, the couple dealt with making the relationship work, which culminates in tensions between the pair — and without totally spoiling it, suffice to say that does not end so well.

— Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2026
The Dodgers left-hander had just given up the lead on Bauers’ two-run homer, spoiling what had been a stellar start Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.

— Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of spoiling

Verb

Tips To Keep Your Sink Clean Longer Rinse the sink after every use to get rid of food debris that can cause odors, get rid of soap scum, and reduce staining.

— Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 18 Oct. 2026
Hydrogen peroxide acts as a mild disinfectant that kills mold and bacteria and is very helpful for light staining.

— Asia London Palomba, The Spruce, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of staining

Verb

Lincoln Park Zoo sits atop a former burial ground, Chicago City Cemetery, which was moved in the 1860s amid concerns that the graves were contaminating the water supply.

— Jennifer Day, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
How Monster Depicts the Borden Murders Their first attempt involves serving the couple oysters in May, when the series says the city of Fall River dumps its sewage over the oyster beds, contaminating the shellfish with potentially fatal bacteria.

— Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of contaminating

Verb

But the security backdrop in the Strait of Hormuz is darkening even as rates fall.

— Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
The neutral palette feels a little more friendly and relaxed rather than dark and serious, which adds a certain brightness back into the rapidly darkening days.

— Bianca Kratky, Glamour, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of darkening

Verb

One company might allow isolating employee endpoints automatically but require human approval before touching production.

— Asaf Wiener, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Two employees did not wash their hands and/or change gloves in between touching personal phones and going back to food preparation.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of touching

Browse Nearby Words

tainted

tainting

taintless

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Tainting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tainting. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of tainting

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

jilt

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes