Literary notes about Tinge (AI summary)
Writers employ “tinge” to convey a subtle infusion—whether of color or sentiment—that enriches both physical descriptions and emotional tones. In a literal sense, the word is used to denote a slight coloration, as when a delicate rosy tinge is applied to skin ([1]) or when moonlight casts a greyish tinge over a figure ([2], [3]). At the same time, “tinge” functions metaphorically to hint at nuanced emotional undercurrents: a remark may carry a tinge of bitterness ([4]) or a character’s voice might betray a slight tinge of resentment ([5]). It can even color ideological or personal moods by suggesting an underlying trace of melancholy or cynicism ([6], [7]), thereby adding layers of depth to character and setting. Through such subtle gradations, the word “tinge” allows authors to evoke complex atmospheres that linger in the reader’s mind.
- It also imparts a delicate rosy tinge to the skin preferable to rouge.
— from The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness by Florence Hartley - The moonlight cast a greyish tinge over his figure, hunched against the staircase wall.
— from The Forsyte Saga, Volume I. by John Galsworthy - The night was sweet, very clear, sufficiently cool, a voluptuous halfmoon, slightly golden, the space near it of a transparent blue-gray tinge.
— from Complete Prose Works by Walt Whitman - "You're young"—with a tinge of bitterness—"and he says you are beautiful."
— from The Gay Cockade by Temple Bailey - I am not scolding you; I do not want any tinge of bitterness to spoil our offering.
— from Father Goriot by Honoré de Balzac - To his eyes all seemed beautiful, but to me a tinge of melancholy lay upon the countryside, which bore so clearly the mark of the waning year.
— from The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle - But there was always a tinge of cynicism in Miss Pole’s remarks.
— from Cranford by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
