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Tainted with, or full of, sin; wicked; iniquitous; criminal; unholy; as, sinful men; sinful thoughts. Piers Plowman. Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity. Isa. i. 4. -- Sin"ful*ly, adv. -- Sin"ful*ness, n.

An undecided, inquiring state of mind; doubt; uncertainty. That momentary amazement, and irresolution, and confusion, which is the result of skepticism. Hune.

To taint with mildew, as grain. Bacon.

Tainted with mildew; as, smutty corn.

Moral firmness; soundness; strength; validity; truth; certainty; - - as opposed to weakness or fallaciousness; as, the solidity of arguments or reasoning; the solidity of principles, triuths, or opinions.

To stain; to blemish; to taint; to disgrace; to tarnish, as reputation; to asperse. My virgin life no spotted thoughts shall stain. Sir P. Sidney. If ever I shall close these eyes but once, May I live spotted for my perjury. Beau. & Fl. To spot timber, to cut or chip it, in preparation for hewing.

Taint of guilt; tarnish; disgrace; reproach. Nor death itself can wholly wash their stains. Dryden. Our opinion . . . is, I trust, without any blemish or stain of heresy. Hooker.

ng from excess of sculptures in religion. And the truth With superstitions and traditions taint. Milton.

The state of being sure; certainty. For more sureness he repeats it. Woodward. The law holds with equal sureness for all right action. Emerson.

The state of being sure; certainty; security. Know of a surety, that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs. Gen. xv. 13. For the more surety they looked round about. Sir P. Sidney.

The state of being suspended; specifically, a state of uncertainty and expectation, with anxiety or apprehension; indetermination; indecision; as, the suspense of a person waiting for the verdict of a jury. Ten days the prophet in suspense remained. Denham. Upon the ticklish balance of suspense. Cowper.…

To restore to purity; to free from taint; as, to sweeten water, butter, or meat.

A peculiar flavor or taint; as, a musty tack. [Obs. or Colloq.] Drayton.

gnification, or effect. A usage nearly tantamount to constitutional right. Hallam. The certainty that delay, under these circumstances, was tantamount to ruin. De Quincey.

Absence of confidence; uncertainty; doubt.

Want of surety; uncertainty; insecurity; doubt. [Obs.] Sir T. More.

s, saith the Preacher. Eccl. i. 2. Vanity possesseth many who are desirous to know the certainty of things to come. Sir P. Sidney. [Sin] with vanity had filled the works of men. Milton. Think not, when woman's transient breath is fled, That all her vanities at once are dead; Succeeding vanities she still regards. Pope.…

hance or danger; the risking of something upon an event which can not be foreseen with certainty; a hazard; a risk; a speculation. I, in this venture, double gains pursue. Dryden.

ird persons, the idea of distinct volition, wish, or purpose is evanescent, and simple certainty is appropriately expressed; as, "You will go," or "He will go," describes a future event as a fact only. To emphasize will denotes (according to the tone or context) certain futurity or fixed determination.…

uld again within a little while." Chaucer. Within these five hours lived Lord Hastings, Untainted, unexamined, free, at liberty. Shak.