tinge

/tɪndʒ/

/tɪndʒ/

Other forms: tinged; tinges; tinging

A tinge is a slight amount of something, like a color or a feeling. Some glaciers have a tinge of blue, and an old photo might make you feel a tinge of sadness.

If a painting has a tinge of orange, there's just a touch of orange. Outside of colors, tinge can mean a small amount of just about anything. Sometimes you hear about someone speaking with a tinge of anger. That means there's just a little bit anger showing in their words. A tinge will never bowl you over — it's always small or subtle.

Definitions of tinge

1. verb

   color lightly
   “her greying hair was tinged blond”

   “the leaves were tinged red in November”

   synonyms: tinct, tint, touch

   types:

   henna

   apply henna to one's hair

   tincture

   stain or tint with a color

   complexion

   give a certain color to

   type of:

   color, color in, colorise, colorize, colour, colour in, colourise, colourize

   add color to
2. verb

   affect as in thought or feeling
   “The sadness tinged his life”

   synonyms: color, colour, distort

   type of:

   affect, bear on, bear upon, impact, touch, touch on

   have an effect upon
3. noun

   a pale or subdued color
   synonyms: undertone

   type of:

   shade, tincture, tint, tone

   a quality of a given color that differs slightly from another color
4. noun

   a slight but appreciable amount
   synonyms: hint, jot, mite, pinch, soupcon, speck, touch, trifle

   types:

   snuff

   a pinch of smokeless tobacco inhaled at a single time

   type of:

   small indefinite amount, small indefinite quantity

   an indefinite quantity that is below average size or magnitude