A tint is a shade of a color, especially one made by adding white to make it lighter and softer. When you mix red paint with white, you create a pink tint of red. When you add white to blue, you get a lighter, sky-blue tint. Artists use tints constantly: they might start with a bold, dark green and then create several lighter tints by gradually adding white to show how sunlight hits different parts of a tree.

The word also means a slight trace or touch of a quality. You might say there's a tint of sadness in someone's voice, or a tint of worry in their expression. This usage suggests just a hint of something, barely noticeable but definitely there.

As a verb, to tint means to add color lightly to something. Hair stylists tint hair to change its color subtly. Car windows can be tinted with a film that darkens them slightly. When autumn arrives, leaves become tinted with gold and orange.

A tint doesn’t overpower. It’s a gentle addition, a whisper of color or feeling rather than a shout.