Stained — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb noun adjective /ˈstān/ (verb) /gē-ˈem-zə-/ (noun)

Meaning & Definition of Stained

Stained (verb)

  1. to suffuse with color
  2. discolor, soil
  3. taint

Stained (noun)

  1. glass colored or stained (as by fusing metallic oxides into it) for decorative applications (as in windows)
  2. a stain consisting of eosin and a blue dye and used chiefly in the differential staining of blood films —called also Giemsa, Giemsa's stain

Stained (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. not clean

    "always seen wearing stained clothes, which he apparently hoped would mark him as an antibourgeois bohemian"

    similar: bedraggled, befouled, begrimed, bemired, besmirched, black, blackened, cruddy, dingy, dirty, draggled, dusty, filthy, foul, grimy, grotty (chiefly British), grubby, grungy, mucky, muddy, nasty, smudged, smutty, soiled, sordid, sullied, unclean, uncleanly
    related: contaminated, defiled, germy, impure, polluted, tainted, insanitary, uncleaned, unsanitary, unsterile, unsterilized, unwashed, greasy, gunky, chaotic, cluttered, confused, disarranged, disarrayed, disheveled, disordered, jumbled, littered, messed, messy, muddled, mussed, mussy, rumpled, scruffy, sloppy, slovenly, unkempt, untidy, raunchy, scuzzy (slang), shabby, skanky (slang), sleazy, squalid, collied (chiefly British dialect), crocked (dialect), fuliginous, sooty
    opposite: clean, cleanly, immaculate, spick-and-span, spotless, stainless, ultraclean, unsoiled, unstained, unsullied
    near: clear, limpid, pure, cleaned, cleansed, combed, groomed, neat, ordered, orderly, tidy, bleached, purified, whitened, bright, flawless, perfect, shiny, sparkling, unspotted, untouched, taintless, unblemished, undefiled, unpolluted, untainted, virgin, wholesome

Stained (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable

    "her poor choice of companions stained her reputation somewhat"

    similar: blemished, darkened, marred, poisoned, spoiled, tainted, tarnished, touched, vitiated
    related: begrimed, besmeared, besmirched, blackened, blurred, clouded, dirtied, discolored, polluted, smeared, smirched, smudged, smutted, soiled, sullied, tarred, abased, cheapened, debased, degraded, demeaned, discredited, disgraced, dishonored, fouled, lowered, sank, shamed, bastardized, corrupted, debauched, demoralized, depraved, perverted, subverted, colored, distorted, twisted
    near: cleansed, purified, dignified, elevated, ennobled, enshrined, glorified, hallowed, magnified, uplifted

  2. to give color or a different color to

    "stained the table to look like cherry"

    similar: bepainted (archaic), colored, dyed, painted, pigmented, tinctured, tinged, tinted
    related: brightened, lightened, darkened, embrowned, toned (down), checkered, dappled, daubed, flecked, marbled, mottled, patterned, polychromed, specked, speckled, streaked, striated, striped, variegated
    opposite: decolorized
    near: blanched, bleached, whitened

  3. to make dirty

    "oil stained his work pants"

    similar: befouled, begrimed, bemired, besmirched, blackened, daubed, dirtied, distained (archaic), fouled, gaumed (dialect), grimed, mired, mucked, muddied, smirched, smudged, soiled, sullied
    related: contaminated, defiled, polluted, tainted, discolored, confused, disarranged, disarrayed, disheveled, disordered, draggled, jumbled, messed, muddled, collied (chiefly British dialect), crocked (dialect)
    opposite: cleaned, cleansed
    near: decontaminated, purged, purified, disinfected, sanitized, brushed, dry-cleaned, dusted, laundered, mopped, rinsed, scoured, scrubbed, swept, washed, wiped, brightened, deodorized, freshened, renewed, spruced (up), straightened (up), tidied (up)

Related Entry: Stain (verb)

Stain is a different word from Stained. The synonyms below are for stain, not for stained.

  1. to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable

    "her poor choice of companions stained her reputation somewhat"

    similar: blemish, darken, mar, poison, spoil, taint, tarnish, touch, vitiate
    related: begrime, besmear, besmirch, blacken, blur, cloud, dirty, discolor, pollute, smear, smirch, smudge, smut, soil, sully, tar, abase, cheapen, debase, degrade, demean, discredit, disgrace, dishonor, foul, lower, shame, sink, bastardize, corrupt, debauch, demoralize, deprave, pervert, subvert, color, distort, twist
    near: cleanse, purify, dignify, elevate, ennoble, enshrine, glorify, hallow, magnify, uplift

  2. to give color or a different color to

    "stained the table to look like cherry"

    similar: bepaint (archaic), color, dye, paint, pigment, tincture, tinge, tint
    related: brighten, lighten, darken, embrown, tone (down), checker, dapple, daub, fleck, marble, mottle, pattern, polychrome, speck, speckle, streak, striate, stripe, variegate
    opposite: decolorize
    near: blanch, bleach, whiten

  3. to make dirty

    "oil stained his work pants"

    similar: befoul, begrime, bemire, besmirch, blacken, daub, dirty, distain (archaic), foul, gaum (dialect), grime, mire, muck, muddy, smirch, smudge, soil, sully
    related: contaminate, defile, pollute, taint, discolor, confuse, disarrange, disarray, dishevel, disorder, draggle, jumble, mess, muddle, colly (chiefly British dialect), crock (dialect)
    opposite: clean, cleanse
    near: decontaminate, purge, purify, disinfect, sanitize, brush, dry-clean, dust, launder, mop, rinse, scour, scrub, sweep, wash, wipe, brighten, deodorize, freshen, renew, spruce (up), straighten (up), tidy (up)

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Stained

The most common words with a similar meaning to Stained:

Archaic: bepainted, distained
Chiefly British: grotty
Dialect: gaumed
bedraggled, befouled, begrimed, bemired, besmirched, black, blackened, cruddy, dingy, dirty, draggled, dusty, filthy, foul, grimy, grubby, grungy, mucky, muddy, nasty, smudged, smutty, soiled, sordid, sullied, unclean, uncleanly, blemished, darkened, marred, poisoned, spoiled, tainted, tarnished, touched, vitiated, colored, dyed, painted, pigmented

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Stained

Words with the opposite meaning of Stained:

clean, cleanly, immaculate, spick-and-span, spotless, stainless, ultraclean, unsoiled, unstained, unsullied, decolorized, cleaned, cleansed

Related Words for Stained

contaminated, defiled, germy, impure, polluted, insanitary, uncleaned, unsanitary, unsterile, unsterilized, unwashed, greasy, gunky, chaotic, cluttered, confused, disarranged, disarrayed, disheveled, disordered, jumbled, littered, messed, messy, muddled, mussed, mussy, rumpled, scruffy, sloppy

Near Antonyms of Stained

clear, limpid, pure, combed, groomed, neat, ordered, orderly, tidy, bleached, purified, whitened, bright, flawless, perfect, shiny, sparkling, unspotted, untouched, taintless, unblemished, undefiled, unpolluted, untainted, virgin, wholesome, dignified, elevated, ennobled, enshrined

Word Forms of Stained

Inflections: staining, stains

Derived words: stainable (adjective), stainer (noun), Giemsa-stained (adjective)

Origin & Etymology of Stained

Middle English steynen, partly from Anglo-French desteindre to take away the color from & partly of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse steina to paint distain

First known use: 14th centuryt

Words & Phrases Containing Stained

stained glass

Frequently Asked Questions about Stained

What does "Stained" mean?

"Stained" means to suffuse with color. As an a verb, a noun and an adjective, it is defined as: to suffuse with color. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Stained"?

Other words for "Stained" include bedraggled, befouled, begrimed, bemired, besmirched, black, blackened and cruddy. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Stained" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Stained"?

There are 142 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Stained". Common alternatives include bedraggled, befouled, begrimed, bemired, besmirched, black, blackened, cruddy, dingy and dirty.

What is the opposite of "Stained"?

Antonyms of "Stained" include clean, cleanly, immaculate, spick-and-span, spotless, stainless, ultraclean and unsoiled. Near antonyms include clear, limpid, pure and combed.

How do you use "Stained" in a sentence?

Examples of "Stained" in a sentence: "always seen wearing stained clothes, which he apparently hoped would mark him as an antibourgeois bohemian"; "her poor choice of companions stained her reputation somewhat"; "stained the table to look like cherry".

Is "Stained" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Stained" can be used as a verb, a noun and an adjective, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Stained"?

"Stained" is pronounced /ˈstān/ as a verb and /gē-ˈem-zə-/ as a noun.

What is the origin of the word "Stained"?

"Stained" comes from Middle English steynen, partly from Anglo-French desteindre to take away the color from & partly of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse steina to paint distain. First known use: 14th centuryt.