taint

/teint/
Học thuật
Thân thiện
taint

The inspector discovered a taint in the water supply.

Definition

  1. Noun:

    • A trace of contamination or corruption: A small amount of something bad, harmful, or undesirable that spoils or damages the quality or character of a person, thing, or situation.
    • A moral flaw or stain: A blemish on someone's reputation or character.
    • A trace of disease or decay: A sign of infection, spoilage, or an inherited negative quality.

  2. Verb:

    • To contaminate or pollute: To make something impure or harmful by adding an undesirable substance or influence.
    • To spoil or corrupt morally: To damage the purity, integrity, or reputation of a person, idea, or institution.
    • To become spoiled or rotten: (Less common) For food to begin to decay.
Examples of Usage

  • Noun:

    • The scandal left a permanent taint on his political career.
    • There was a taint of madness in the family's history.
    • The meat was rejected due to a possible taint of bacteria.

  • Verb:

    • The water supply was tainted with industrial chemicals.
    • His judgment was tainted by personal bias.
    • The evidence was tainted and therefore inadmissible in court.
Advanced Usage
  • "to be tainted with/by something": To be spoiled or corrupted by a particular negative element.
    • The victory was tainted by allegations of cheating.
  • "taint-free": Completely free from contamination or corruption.
    • They strive to provide a taint-free environment for the experiment.
Variants and Related Words
  • Tainted (adj): Contaminated, corrupted, or spoiled.
    • The investigation focused on the tainted evidence.
  • Taintless (adj): (Rare) Free from taint; pure.
  • Tainting (n/adj): The act or process of contaminating.
Synonyms
  • Noun: Stain, blemish, blot, contamination, corruption, flaw, trace, tinge.
  • Verb: Contaminate, pollute, defile, sully, stain, corrupt, spoil, mar, blemish.
Related Phrasal Verbs/Constructions

(Note: "Taint" is not commonly used in phrasal verb constructions. Its meaning is typically conveyed directly or with prepositions like "with" or "by.")

Related Idioms
  • "A taint on something": A damaging mark or flaw affecting something.
    • The financial fraud was a taint on the company's otherwise good name.
  • "To cast a taint over something": To cause something to be viewed with suspicion or disrepute.
    • The tragic accident cast a taint over the celebratory event.
taint

The inspector discovered a taint in the water supply.

Noun
  1. the state of being contaminated
Verb
  1. contaminate with a disease or microorganism
  2. place under suspicion or cast doubt upon
    • sully someone's reputation

Từ đồng nghĩa

Từ trái nghĩa

Từ gần giống

Từ chứa "taint"