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| Main Entry: |
taint
 [teynt] 
|
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | dirty, contaminate; ruin |
| Synonyms: | adulterate, besmirch, blacken, blemish, blight, blot, blur, brand, break down, cast a slur, cloud, cook, corrupt, crud up, crumble, cut, damage, debase, decay, decompose, defile, deprave, discolor, discredit, disgrace, dishonor, disintegrate, doctor, foul, give a bad name, harm, hurt, infect, muddy, poison, pollute, putrefy, rot, shame, smear, soil, spike, spoil, stain, stigmatize, sully, tar, tarnish, trash*, turn, water, water down |
| Antonyms: | clean, right |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | abuse |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | physically hurt or injure |
| Synonyms: | bang up, beat up, bung up, corrupt, cut up, damage, defile, deprave, desecrate, harm, hose, ill-treat, impair, maltreat, mar, mess up*, mishandle, mistreat, misuse, molest, oppress, persecute, pollute, rough up, roughhouse, ruin, shake up, spoil, taint, total*, victimize, violate, wax |
| Notes: | abuse carries with it some sense of harm; misuse refers to an incorrect use that may not lead to harm to misuse is to use something wrongly, to abuse is to misuse something so badly that you damage it |
| Antonyms: | cherish, defend, help, preserve, protect, respect |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | abuse |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | use wrongly |
| Synonyms: | dissipate, exhaust, misemploy, mishandle, misuse, overburden, overtax, overwork, prostitute, spoil, squander, taint, waste |
| Antonyms: | benefit, care for, esteem, prize, respect, revere |
Example Sentences
- The majority were caused by tainted meat or dairy products.
- It will be difficult to nurture global leaders as long as our children are tainted by racial prejudice.
- The party, which has always cultivated a reputation for ethical cleanliness, is suddenly tainted by scandal.
| Main Entry: | adulterate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | alter or debase, often for profit |
| Synonyms: | alloy, amalgamate, attenuate, blend, cheapen, commingle, contaminate, cook, corrupt, cut*, defile, degrade, denature, depreciate, deteriorate, devalue, dilute, dissolve, doctor up, doctor*, falsify, impair, infiltrate, intermix, irrigate, lace, make impure, mingle, mix, phony up, plant*, pollute, shave, spike*, taint, thin, transfuse, vitiate, water down, weaken |
| Antonyms: | clarify, clean, cleanse, distill, filter, free, purify, refine |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | adulterated |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | debased or dirty |
| Synonyms: | attenuated, blended, contaminated, corrupt, defiled, degraded, depreciated, deteriorated, devalued, diluted, dissolved, impaired, mixed, polluted, tainted, thinned, vitiated, watered down, weakened |
| Antonyms: | clean, moral, virtuous |
| Main Entry: | blacken |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | malign; smear |
| Synonyms: | asperse, attack, bad-mouth, blot, blotch, calumniate, decry, defame, defile, denigrate, dishonor, do a number on, give a black eye, knock*, libel, malign, rip up and down, rip*, slander, slur, smudge, stain, sully, taint, tarnish, traduce, vilify |
| Antonyms: | compliment, enhance, praise |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | blemish |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | flaw, disfigure |
| Synonyms: | blot, blotch, blur, damage, deface, distort, harm, hurt, impair, injure, maim, mangle, mar, mark, mutilate, pervert, prejudice, scar, smudge, spoil, spot, stain, sully, taint, tarnish, twist, vitiate, wrench |
| Antonyms: | adorn, beautify, decorate, embellish, ornament |
| Main Entry: | blight |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | ruin, destroy |
| Synonyms: | annihilate, blast, crush, damage, dash, decay, disappoint, foul up, frustrate, glitch up, injure, mar, mess up*, nip in the bud, nullify, shrivel, spoil, taint, trash*, wither, wreck |
| Antonyms: | aid, bless, guard, help, prosper, protect |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | blur |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make dirty |
| Synonyms: | besmear, blemish, blot, discolor, smear, smudge, spot, stain, taint, tarnish |
| Antonyms: | clarify, clean, cleanse, purify |
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2012 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2012 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
