adulterant

noun

adul·​ter·​ant ə-ˈdəl-t(ə-)rənt How to pronounce adulterant (audio)
: an adulterating substance or agent
adulterant adjective

Example Sentences

concerned about adulterants in the town's water supply coming from the discharge from the factory
Recent Examples on the Web That’s the way fentanyl has been found as an adulterant in many other drugs, helping to drive US overdose deaths to record highs. Samantha Guff, CNN, 7 Mar. 2023 The report found that heroin and fentanyl, a synthetic opioid far more powerful than heroin that increasingly has been added as an adulterant to street drugs, accounted for the vast majority of the nearly 1,600 deaths that have happened in suburban Cook County since 2016. John Keilman, chicagotribune.com, 19 Feb. 2021 But aside from appearing as an adulterant in powdered fentanyl and heroin, Cavaleri said the sedative also appeared in counterfeit pills — including at least once in a fake Xanax. Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2023 But because additives aren’t disclosed to the buyer and most of them have been banned by the FDA, clinicians might not recognize or even suspect that an adulterant is the cause of a patient’s symptoms. C. Michael White, The Conversation, 16 Aug. 2021 Officials also don't know whether there is a particular solvent or adulterant in one product, whether there are multiple products, or whether there are multiple brands involved, Schuchat said. Lena H. Sun, chicagotribune.com, 30 Sep. 2019 Indeed, preliminary reports have linked nearly all reported illnesses to products purchased from the illicit market that contain potential adulterants and contaminants. chicagotribune.com, 10 Oct. 2019 While the arils of M fatua are extensively harvested and have a good market, the arils of G canarica are used as an adulterant. Neha Jain, Quartz India, 6 Nov. 2019 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'adulterant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1755, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of adulterant was circa 1755

Dictionary Entries Near adulterant

Cite this Entry

“Adulterant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adulterant. Accessed 29 May. 2023.

Kids Definition

adulterant

noun
adul·​ter·​ant ə-ˈdəl-tə-rənt How to pronounce adulterant (audio)
: something used to adulterate another thing

Medical Definition

adulterant

noun
adul·​ter·​ant ə-ˈdəl-t(ə-)rənt How to pronounce adulterant (audio)
: an adulterating substance or agent
adulterant adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on adulterant

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