What does "tinge" mean?
A small added amount of colour; (by extension) a small added amount of some other thing.
Tinge
/tɪnd͡ʒ/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A small added amount of colour; (by extension) a small added amount of some other thing.
- Grammar: tinge is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: hint, achromatism, admixture, affect.
- Useful contrasts: bleach, certainty, clarity.
- Usage evidence: There is a tinge of red in the eastern sky.
How to use "tinge"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "tinge" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "tinge" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "tinge" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "tinge" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "tinge" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "hint" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "tinge", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A small added amount of colour; (by extension) a small added amount of some other thing.
"Though a ſingle grain of copper diſſolved in upwards of twenty gallons of clear water may be detected by a viſible blue tinge appearing on the addition of a few drops of volatile alcali, yet this is by no means the caſe in turbid high-coloured liquors, [...] Hence the neceſſity of diluting ſuch liquors in varying the experiments. In no inſtance did the blue tinge appear with the alcalis, even after the wine was diluted, and yet its abſence does not prove the liquor to be abſolutely free from an impregnation of copper."
- 2 a pale or subdued color wordnet
- 3 The degree of vividness of a colour; hue, shade, tint.
"[page 51] The following are the results of experiments made with rhubarb, to ascertain the best modes of detecting it in the urine and blood, and the time it takes to pass from the stomach to the urinary bladder. [...] [page 52] In 17 minutes, half an ounce of urine was voided, which when tested had a light tinge. In 30 minutes another half ounce was made, in which the tinge was stronger; and in 41 minutes a third half ounce was made, in which it was very deep. In an hour and ten minutes 7 ounces were voided, in which the tinge of rhubarb was very weak, and in two hours twelve ounces were voided, in which it was hardly perceptible."
- 4 a slight but appreciable amount wordnet
Verb
- 1 To add a small amount of colour; to tint; (by extension) to add a small amount of some other thing. transitive
"[T]he water being ting'd red, cant it off, iterate it ſo long till the Vitriol tingeth the water no more."
- 2 color lightly wordnet
- 3 To affect or alter slightly, particularly due to the actual or metaphorical influence of some element or thing. figuratively, transitive
"Hail! nurse of thought, with brow serene; / Who, as the sun, so wont, retires, / And leaves the sky to milder fires, / Tingest with shadowy forms the fading scene, [...]"
- 4 affect as in thought or feeling wordnet
- 5 To change slightly in shade due to the addition of colour; (by extension) to change slightly in quality due to the addition of some other thing. intransitive
"[H]is virtues, as well as imperfections, are as it were tinged by a certain extravagance, which makes them particularly his, and distinguishes them from those of other men."
Antonyms
Example
"There is a tinge of red in the eastern sky."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "tinge"?
Common synonyms include: hint, achromatism, admixture, affect, allegory, allusion.
How do you use "tinge" in a sentence?
There is a tinge of red in the eastern sky.
How do you pronounce "tinge"?
Pronounced /tɪnd͡ʒ/.
Etymology
The verb is derived from Latin tingere, present active infinitive of tingō (“to dip; to moisten; to colour, dye, tinge”). The noun is derived from the verb.