tinge

tinge

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Pronunciation

Phonetic Spelling

• IPA: /tɪndʒ/

• Syllable Breakdown (One Syllable):

• /t/: The t sound, as in "top."

• /ɪ/: The short i sound, as in "sit."

• /n/: The n sound, as in "net."

• /dʒ/: The j or soft g sound, as in "judge."

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Word Form Variations

• Singular (Noun): tinge

• Plural (Noun): tinges

• Verb (Base): tinge

• Verb (Third-Person Singular Present): tinges

• Verb (Past Tense): tinged

• Verb (Present Participle): tingeing / tinging

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Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms

Noun

• Definition: A very slight amount of a color, often mixed into a larger area; a subtle trace or hint of a quality, feeling, or characteristic.

• Synonyms: hint, trace, touch, tint, shade, dash, suggestion, suspicion

• Antonyms: abundance, saturation, profusion, saturation

Verb

• Definition: To apply a faint amount of color or tint to something; to imbue or affect something with a slight trace of a quality or feeling.

• Synonyms: tint, color, stain, dye, shade, flavor, suffuse, imbue

• Antonyms: bleach, purify, strip, drench

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Examples of Use

📰 In News and Online Publications

• As a noun, referring to a slight feeling or quality: "But his triumph was colored by a tinge of sadness, as he wished his late father had been there to see it." (The New York Times, November 2008)

• As a verb, describing an imbued quality: "The announcement of the retro-style console was tinged with nostalgia, clearly aimed at gamers who grew up in the 90s." (IGN)

• As a noun, referring to a slight trace: "GOP leaders have tried to distance themselves from the remarks, which carried a tinge of conspiracy theory." (The Washington Post)

📚 In Books (Literature)

• As a noun, referring to a slight color: "The western sky was clear with the exception of a long, thin cloud with the faintest tinge of pink." (Lois Lowry, The Giver)

• As a verb, describing an emotional quality: "His voice, usually so confident, was tinged with a note of uncertainty." (Fictitious example)

🎬 In Entertainment

• In a film review: "The hero's victory feels hollow, tinged with the heavy price of his sacrifice." (Variety)

• In a makeup tutorial on YouTube: "This concealer has a slight peachy tinge, which is great for neutralizing the blue under my eyes."

• In a television drama script: "Her polite smile was tinged with irony as she listened to his excuses." (Fictitious example)

💬 In General Public Discourse

• Describing food: "The curry is mostly savory, but it has a slight tinge of sweetness from the coconut milk."

• Describing an atmosphere: "There was a tinge of excitement in the air before the concert started."

• Expressing emotion: "I'm happy he got the promotion, but I can't help feeling a tinge of jealousy."

• Describing appearance: "After the fever, his skin still had a sickly, pale tinge."

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10 Famous Quotes Using Tinge

1. Humor is perhaps a saving grace, but it’s definitely tinged with sadness. (Gilda Radner)

2. Perhaps I am tinged with sadness. (Sylvia Plath, The Unabridged Journals)

3. The western sky was clear with the exception of a long, thin cloud with the faintest tinge of pink. (Lois Lowry, The Giver)

4. The general effect was bizarre and exciting, tinged with a sort of terror. (H. G. Wells, The Time Machine)

5. A tinge of humor seemed to tinge the silence. (A. A. Milne, The Red House Mystery)

6. My optimism is tinged with sadness. (David W. Blight)

7. Every triumph is tinged with regret. (E. H. Sothern)

8. Every memory is tinged with the coloring of the present. (K. M. Chopping)

9. The hero’s relief was tinged with the knowledge of what he had sacrificed to win.

10. She spoke of the future with an excitement that was tinged with a slight apprehension.

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Etymology

The word tinge comes to us directly from the Latin word tingere.

The original Latin meaning of tingere was "to dye," "to soak," or "to moisten." You can think of its original use as the literal act of dipping something into a liquid to change its color, like dyeing fabric.

First Known Use

When tinge first appeared in English in the 15th century (the 1400s), it was used as a verb and kept this original Latin meaning: to literally dye, stain, or color something.

Over time, this meaning softened. Instead of meaning "to dye completely," it came to mean "to add a slight amount of color."

This eventually led to the noun form ("a tinge") appearing much later, around the mid-1700s. People started using "a tinge of color" to mean just a hint of it. From there, it quickly evolved into the figurative sense we use all the time today, like "a tinge of sadness" or "a tinge of jealousy," meaning just a slight trace of an emotion.

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Phrases + Idioms Containing Tinge

Common Phrases with "Tinge"

• A tinge of sadness

• A tinge of regret

• A tinge of jealousy

• A tinge of irony

• A tinge of sarcasm

• A tinge of nostalgia

• A tinge of excitement

• A tinge of fear

• A tinge of pink (or any color)

• Tinged with bitterness

• Tinged with despair

• A metallic tinge (in flavor)

Idioms and Phrases with a Similar Meaning

These expressions convey a similar idea of a "small trace" or "slight influence" without necessarily using the word "tinge."

• A hint of (e.g., "a hint of a smile")

• A touch of (e.g., "a touch of class," "a touch of irony")

• A dash of (e.g., "a dash of paprika," "a dash of humor")

• A suspicion of (e.g., "a suspicion of garlic," "a suspicion of a grin")

• A shade of (e.g., "a shade of gray," "a shade of meaning")

• A trace of (e.g., "a trace of an accent," "no trace of fear")

• (To) color one's perception (meaning to influence or "tinge" someone's viewpoint)

• (A) gray area (an ambiguous situation, "tinged" with uncertainty)

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Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA

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Source Information

Definition of tinge from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.

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