adulteration

noun

adul·​ter·​a·​tion ə-ˌdəl-tə-ˈrā-shən 

1

: the process of adulterating : the condition of being adulterated

2

: an adulterated product

Examples of adulteration in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That’s where much of our data on food adulteration at the time comes from, notes Blum. —Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 1 May 2025

Gasoline price caps tend to cause long lines, declining service quality, fuel adulteration, theft, and smuggling. —Aldo Flores-Quiroga, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025

Figueroa pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States; destruction, alteration, falsification of records in a federal investigation; obstruction of departments or agencies; and adulteration or misbranding of food and drugs. —David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 23 Jan. 2025

The pesticide adulteration rate matched that of products from California’s legal market, which mandates screening for 66 pesticides but ignores scores of other compounds The Times found. —Paige St. John, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French adulteracion, borrowed from Latin adulterātiōn-, adulterātiō, from adulterāre "to adulterate entry 1" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns

First Known Use

1503, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for adulteration

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• affiliation

Medical Definition

adulteration

noun

adul·​ter·​a·​tion ə-ˌdəl-tə-ˈrā-shən 

1

: the process of adulterating : the condition of being adulterated

2

: an adulterated product