Synonyms for tainted
- adjective
Most common
Synonyms by meaning
Adjective
1. Contaminated — corrupted or filled with imperfections
contaminated, polluted, impure, adulterated, corrupted, defiled, infected, vitiated, mixed, stale, sophisticated, debased, common dated
Definitions
- adj. 1
Corrupted or filled with imperfections.
Hey, get that away from me! It was bought with tainted money.
- adj. 2
Originating from an untrusted source.
Near-synonyms: imperfect, faulty
Choose the right word
Tainted meat is repulsive; infected meat contains germs of disease.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- contaminated These infections were caused by contaminated milk.
- polluted It's one of the most polluted cities in the world.
- impure Impure drinking water can be a carrier of diseases.
- adulterated Wine, olive oil, and honey are frequently adulterated, faked, or counterfeited.
- rancid It was watery soup spiced with pepper and rancid oil.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| tainted | rising | |
| contaminated | rising | |
| polluted | steady | |
| impure | steady | |
| adulterated | falling | |
| rancid | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 5 letters
- mixed1, stale1
- 6 letters
- common2, faulty2, morbid2, impure2, rancid2
- 7 letters
- corrupt2, defiled, debased2
- 8 letters
- infected3, polluted3, vitiated
- 9 letters
- corrupted3, imperfect3
- 11 letters
- adulterated5
- 12 letters
- contaminated5
- 13 letters
- sophisticated5
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (common2 = 2 syllables).