contaminated
adjective
con·tam·i·nat·ed
kən-ˈta-mə-ˌnā-təd 
1
: soiled, stained, corrupted, or infected by contact or association
a contaminated wound
Urine and feces of infected cats and contaminated clothing, bedding, food bowls or toys are also possible modes of transmission.—
Cat Fancy
Cat Fancy2
: made unfit for use by the introduction of unwholesome or undesirable elements
Botulinum toxin is a highly lethal substance which causes death, even in developed countries, when contaminated food is improperly canned or stored.—John Laffin
John Laffin… the material could be used as a filter for cleaning contaminated drinking water.—Alexandra Goho
Alexandra GohoExamples of contaminated in a Sentence
the hospitals had no choice but to throw out the contaminated blood supply
Recent Examples on the Web
Since 1995, $2.9 billion in federal funds have produced public and private investments totaling $42 billion for cleaning and redeveloping contaminated sites, and created more than 200,000 jobs.
—Janet McCabe, The Conversation, 27 June 2025
Beyond creating toxins that can directly kill animals, or harm humans that eat contaminated animals, people may suffer skin irritation and respiratory problems from contact with some of these microorganisms.
—Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
Customers will be able to check if their product is from the contaminated bunch by the UPC (8 51222 00528 7), lot numbers (20250519VS01 and 20250519VS02) and the use-by date, listed as August 29, 2025.
—Moná Thomas, People.com, 23 June 2025
Stylistically, the book becomes a motley, contaminated thing, a mix of Crews’s many modes—chatty, terse, demotic, detached, priapic, noirish, gnomic.
—Charlie Lee, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for contaminated
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Janet McCabe, The Conversation, 27 June 2025
Beyond creating toxins that can directly kill animals, or harm humans that eat contaminated animals, people may suffer skin irritation and respiratory problems from contact with some of these microorganisms.
—Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
Customers will be able to check if their product is from the contaminated bunch by the UPC (8 51222 00528 7), lot numbers (20250519VS01 and 20250519VS02) and the use-by date, listed as August 29, 2025.
—Moná Thomas, People.com, 23 June 2025
Stylistically, the book becomes a motley, contaminated thing, a mix of Crews’s many modes—chatty, terse, demotic, detached, priapic, noirish, gnomic.
—Charlie Lee, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for contaminated
Cite this Entry
“Contaminated.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contaminated. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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