n. 1 stain, blot, blemish, slur, tinge, tincture, (black or bad) mark, stigma, imperfection, flaw, scar, defect; discredit, dishonour His writing suffers from the taint of pedantry
v. 2 sully, tarnish, stain, stigmatize, smear, harm, hurt, damage, debase, vitiate, blacken, foul, contaminate, pollute, dirty, muddy, smirch, besmirch, blemish, soil, corrupt, spoil, defile, ruin, destroy It takes very little to taint one's reputation in a small village