tainted

adjective

taint·​ed ˈtān-təd How to pronounce tainted (audio)
: 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

Examples of tainted in a Sentence

tainted groundwater that is unfit to drink
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
In the street in front of his house, Cooper — the homeowner with the tainted water — met Wilson studying a flare through her camera. Saul Elbein, The Hill, 17 Mar. 2025 The man widely called the true winner of Venezuela’s tainted presidential election said on Tuesday that his son-in-law had been kidnapped by hooded men in Caracas, the capital. Genevieve Glatsky, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2025 But Laos authorities have not given any indication of where and how tainted alcohol might have been served. Helen Regan, CNN, 25 Nov. 2024 But publishers are often slow to retract tainted papers, even when alerted to obvious fraud. Ars Technica, 31 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tainted

Word History

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tainted was in 1577

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Cite this Entry

“Tainted.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tainted. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.

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