Untainted

Untainted is an adjective meaning not contaminated, pristine, or unspoiled. It can describe physical substances, environments, or abstract notions such as integrity or innocence. In everyday usage, it often conveys a sense of purity or untouched state.

In computing and information security, taint analysis distinguishes data that originate from untrusted sources (tainted data) from data that is considered untainted. Untainted data are assumed safe to use without additional sanitization, whereas tainted data may require validation to prevent vulnerabilities such as injection attacks. The concept underpins practices for input validation, data flow tracking, and secure software design.

In environmental and quality-control contexts, untainted refers to substances or ecosystems free from pollutants or adulterants, for example untainted water or untainted soil. The term is commonly used in reporting and compliance to indicate a lack of contamination or contamination that has been controlled.

In cultural and linguistic usage, untainted can signal honesty, integrity, or purity. It is sometimes employed metaphorically to describe people, brands, or reputations, though critics note that its connotations can be vague or idealized when applied beyond literal contamination.

Originating from the verb taint, which traces to Old French and Latin roots related to contamination, untainted has been part of English vocabulary for centuries as a counterpoint to tainted or corrupted. See also taint, contamination, and data sanitization.