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tainted

tainted

4.5
Spoiled and unsafe because it has rot or something harmful
  • adjective
  • /ˈteɪntɪd/
translation icon : contaminado
  • And, you know, as a chef, it's like when the ingredients are tainted, you can't just pour salt in it and make it better.

But this feels kind of tainted now, doesn't it?

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Examples

  • Store bought meat can be tainted with scary bacteria and has ghoulish inflated prices.

  • I can choose whether I drink, you know, tainted water.

  • The meat was tainted and all of the alphas in that troop of baboons died.

  • You cannot be tainted by corporeal matters if you're going to attain to and actually focus on eternal truths, right?

  • The restaurant was forced to close because it served tainted food that made customers sick.

  • Drinking tainted water can lead to serious health problems, so always check the source before consuming.

  • The fruit was tainted by mold, making it unsafe to eat.

Synonyms

rotten
vstainted
81 1.0

Gone bad and no longer good to eat or use

can mean that or general impurity from other causes
impure
vstainted
  • NSFW
20 6.0

Not morally clean because it is corrupt or obscene

also covers literal decay and physical contamination
putrid
vstainted
12 7.0

Rotting and smelling very bad

covers that sensory decay but also nonodorous contamination or corruption
unclean
vstainted
7 1.3

Dirty and covered in dust, food, or grease

implies deeper impurity from decay or corruption rather than simple dirt
spoiled
vstainted
1 1.8

Food that is no longer safe to eat because it has gone bad

is broader, applying beyond food to moral or mixed cases
rotted
vstainted
1 3.0

Damaged by decay so it is no longer safe or useful

also applies to nonrot situations like contamination or moral harm
decayed
vstainted
1 3.9

Something like wood, teeth, or food that is soft and broken because it has rotted

adds the idea of impurity or corruption beyond simple breakdown
ruined
vstainted
1 3.1

Badly damaged so it cannot be fixed or returned to how it was before

can be that extreme but also covers lesser impurity or stain
contaminated
vstainted
4.7

Something that becomes unsafe because it touches something dirty or harmful

is broader, also applying to decay or moral corruption
adulterated
vstainted
  • Specialized
7.4

Less pure because cheaper or wrong ingredients are added

is wider, including natural rot and nonadditive corruption
corrupted
vstainted
5.1

Dishonest and morally ruined because of wrong actions

also covers physical decay and nonmoral contamination
debased
vstainted
7.0

Made worse in quality, value, or moral standards

is not only value loss but also physical spoilage or contamination
defiled
vstainted
8.4

Made morally dirty, especially a place or thing people respect

is broader, including physical rot and nonmoral harm
fouled
vstainted
4.1

Dirty and polluted with waste or unwanted material

is broader, including internal corruption and biological rot
polluted
vstainted
3.5

Not safe to use because dangerous chemicals are in the air, water, or soil

is more general, also including natural rot and moral stain
marred
vstainted
5.5

Having a mark or fault that makes it look worse

focuses on loss of purity or wholesomeness rather than surface damage
soured
vstainted
5.0

Turned unpleasant, like milk that went bad or a friendship that ended

includes that change but also physical rot and moral corruption

Antonyms

390 1.0

Has nothing mixed with it

71 3.1

Helps your body and mind stay healthy

How Contaminated

putrid
12 7.0
rotten
81 1.0
tainted
4.5
spoiled
1 1.8
off
  • UK
1 2.7

Surface Forms

tainted positive

Morphology

tainted = taint (transparent) = taint + ed

Standard past-participle/adjective formation from the verb 'taint'; the adjective meaning is directly derived from the verb.

Etymology

Tainted comes from an old idea of 'color' and 'stain', from the Latin root tingere meaning 'to dye', and is like the English word tint. So when something is tainted it is 'stained' or spoiled and no longer pure.