as in contaminated
containing foreign or lower-grade substances
called in to clean up the polluted stream
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in poisoned
to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable
outmoded factories polluting the air
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of polluted
Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026
The South Asian nation ranked the world’s most polluted country in 2025, according to the report.
—Esha Mitra, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2026
Since 2020, the central government has required factories in key industries, such as steel, cement, and coal power, to use a certain percentage of new-energy heavy trucks or face production restrictions on heavily polluted days.
—Xiaoying You, semafor.com, 31 Mar. 2026
For Fonda, cleaning up polluted air is one element of breaking climate change, and protest and elections are the template.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Across the Northern Hemisphere, migratory fish such as salmon, sturgeon and shad have suffered major losses because rivers have been dammed and polluted, while many populations were heavily overfished.
—Zeb Hogan, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2026
The world’s top 25 most polluted cities were all in India, Pakistan and China.
—Reuters, NBC news, 24 Mar. 2026
Today, most of humanity only has access to a heavily polluted sky rather than the pristine views our ancestors enjoyed, but that sense of awe and wonder still remains.
—Big Think, 23 Mar. 2026
They have been linked to a vast number of health risks, but their effect on athletic performance has generally been studied only when people are racing or training in polluted environments.
—Richard A. Lovett, Outside, 19 Mar. 2026
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2026
Sometimes, the water can be polluted and not look brown, but more cloudy or even colorless.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026
Vermont became the first state to enact a climate superfund law, modeled on the federal superfund law that taxed petroleum and chemical companies to pay to clean up sites polluted by toxic waste.
—ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026
People of color like him and his family worked and lived surrounded by the industries that polluted their air, and many still do.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Decades of such spills and gas flares polluted and degraded the natural environment, while successive Nigerian governments failed to develop our economies.
—Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
Today, the bluegills, catfish and Canada geese that once populated the area have mostly abandoned the creek, which has long been polluted by runoff from farms and nearby parking lots.
—Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026
The copper-mining industry has so polluted the town that its air stinks and its mountains are covered in black ash.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2026
If our aquifer becomes massively polluted by cows, the clean water our rural communities and springs rely upon would be put at risk.
—Harper West, Sun Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
State officials issued islandwide brown water advisories for Oahu and Maui after storms sent polluted runoff into coastal waters.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026
The South Asian nation ranked the world’s most polluted country in 2025, according to the report.
—Esha Mitra, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2026
Since 2020, the central government has required factories in key industries, such as steel, cement, and coal power, to use a certain percentage of new-energy heavy trucks or face production restrictions on heavily polluted days.
—Xiaoying You, semafor.com, 31 Mar. 2026
For Fonda, cleaning up polluted air is one element of breaking climate change, and protest and elections are the template.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Across the Northern Hemisphere, migratory fish such as salmon, sturgeon and shad have suffered major losses because rivers have been dammed and polluted, while many populations were heavily overfished.
—Zeb Hogan, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2026
The world’s top 25 most polluted cities were all in India, Pakistan and China.
—Reuters, NBC news, 24 Mar. 2026
Today, most of humanity only has access to a heavily polluted sky rather than the pristine views our ancestors enjoyed, but that sense of awe and wonder still remains.
—Big Think, 23 Mar. 2026
They have been linked to a vast number of health risks, but their effect on athletic performance has generally been studied only when people are racing or training in polluted environments.
—Richard A. Lovett, Outside, 19 Mar. 2026
Verb
In short, the toxic cloud of judgment that Borgli seeks to interrogate has settled around and polluted the reception to the movie itself, forming a kind of life-versus-art ouroboros that, in the eyes of the most cynical marketeers, might seem less a blow than an opportunity.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2026
Sometimes, the water can be polluted and not look brown, but more cloudy or even colorless.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026
Vermont became the first state to enact a climate superfund law, modeled on the federal superfund law that taxed petroleum and chemical companies to pay to clean up sites polluted by toxic waste.
—ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026
People of color like him and his family worked and lived surrounded by the industries that polluted their air, and many still do.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Decades of such spills and gas flares polluted and degraded the natural environment, while successive Nigerian governments failed to develop our economies.
—Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
Today, the bluegills, catfish and Canada geese that once populated the area have mostly abandoned the creek, which has long been polluted by runoff from farms and nearby parking lots.
—Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026
The copper-mining industry has so polluted the town that its air stinks and its mountains are covered in black ash.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2026
If our aquifer becomes massively polluted by cows, the clean water our rural communities and springs rely upon would be put at risk.
—Harper West, Sun Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for polluted
Adjective
-
Swimming in contaminated water can lead to gastroenteritis that appears up to 12 days later, or other types of infections or illnesses.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Crews spent hours after the fire was out taking inventory and clearing out contaminated equipment.—
Jesse Zanger,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The new summer blockbuster will follow Supergirl's three-day mission to obtain a cure for her superdog and friend, Krypto, who is poisoned by villainous alien Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts).—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
-
That is, until Krypto is poisoned by the henchmen of villain Krem of the Yellow Hills, with only three days to save him.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
And yet, for years, the air has been tainted.—
Walker Armstrong,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Of course, at the heart of it was the man himself, a deeply polarizing music icon whose years-long tirades against everyone from Jewish people to his peers tainted a legacy that once seemed unimpeachable.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Spray the area with the diluted vinegar and water mixture, and wipe it clean with a damp cloth to remove any residue.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
30 Mar. 2026
-
In total, Microsoft has invested $13 billion in OpenAI and, at the time of the AI company’s restructuring in October, disclosed that its 27% diluted stake in the for-profit part of the organization was valued at $135 billion.—
Lora Kolodny,Ashley Capoot,
CNBC,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Second, a dilute hydrochloric acid is used to dissolve the remaining lithium and the transition metals—nickel, cobalt, and manganese.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Oct. 2025
-
For example, Wilson’s team is exploring whether dilute acids speed up weathering.—
Robert F. Service,
Science | AAAS,
3 Sep. 2020
Adjective
-
The company in 2020 pleaded guilty to distributing adulterated ice-cream products and agreed to pay a fine over the outbreak.—
Dylan Tokar,
WSJ,
2 Feb. 2023
-
And while most of those overdoses involved the illicit synthetic opioid fentanyl, experts say that an adulterated and contaminated drug supply is also leading to deaths.—
Nadia Kounang,
CNN,
17 Mar. 2022
Adjective
-
Would there be community support to change zoning to encourage more residential and mixed-use development in the 19 acres up against the 57 Freeway, bordered by Orangethorpe, Placentia and Crowther avenues?—
Heather McRea,
Oc Register,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Its southern counterpart, meanwhile, will be a little taller at 889 ft (270 m), with mixed-use residential space and another rooftop terrace.—
Adam Williams
April 03,
New Atlas,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Wise’s wistful songwriting is retained, but completely missing is his intentionally impure palette.—
Billie Bugara,
Pitchfork,
7 Mar. 2026
-
This is because they are often seen as ritually impure.—
Megan Bryson,
The Conversation,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Polluted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/polluted. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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