as in contamination
something that is or that makes impure
concerned about adulterants in the town's water supply coming from the discharge from the factory
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Recent Examples of adulterant
Plenty of coffee drinkers enjoy medium or dark roasts, which tend to pair well with milk and other adulterants.
—
Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2025
Other adulterants also pose potential risks, especially when consumed unknowingly.
—Benjamin Adams, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Some products have been found to have contaminants such as heavy metals, bacteria, or chemicals or adulterants not listed on the label.
—Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 21 July 2025
In recent years, illicit drugs in the US have been cut with some high-profile and dangerous adulterants, such as the powerful veterinary sedative xylazine (aka tranq) and the yet more powerful veterinary sedative medetomidine.
—ArsTechnica, 10 July 2025
Soon, Wiley was releasing regular bulletins on food adulterants and advocating for national laws.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 1 May 2025
Often, a patchwork of public health experts and harm-reduction groups help test samples and educate people about dangerous new adulterants cycling through local drug supplies.
—Isaac Avilucea, Axios, 3 Apr. 2025
Those tests have turned up a new adulterant: an industrial chemical known as BTMPS that is used in making plastics.
—Kate Kilpatrick, The Conversation, 17 Mar. 2025
Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2025
Other adulterants also pose potential risks, especially when consumed unknowingly.
—Benjamin Adams, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Some products have been found to have contaminants such as heavy metals, bacteria, or chemicals or adulterants not listed on the label.
—Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 21 July 2025
In recent years, illicit drugs in the US have been cut with some high-profile and dangerous adulterants, such as the powerful veterinary sedative xylazine (aka tranq) and the yet more powerful veterinary sedative medetomidine.
—ArsTechnica, 10 July 2025
Soon, Wiley was releasing regular bulletins on food adulterants and advocating for national laws.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 1 May 2025
Often, a patchwork of public health experts and harm-reduction groups help test samples and educate people about dangerous new adulterants cycling through local drug supplies.
—Isaac Avilucea, Axios, 3 Apr. 2025
Those tests have turned up a new adulterant: an industrial chemical known as BTMPS that is used in making plastics.
—Kate Kilpatrick, The Conversation, 17 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adulterant
Noun
-
Until now, identifying what liquid surrounds a specimen required opening the jar, risking evaporation, contamination, and irreversible damage.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Feb. 2026
-
This also results in a loss of water pressure within the distribution system, and that could lead to contamination entering the system through backflow or back siphonage.—
Patrick Damp,
CBS News,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Some engine builders even advise to drain the oil, then add some fresh oil with the drain plug out to flush out any remaining contaminants that did not drain completely.—
John Paul,
The Providence Journal,
7 Feb. 2026
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Previous spills in Flint River The headwaters of the Flint River, which flows south all the way to Florida, begin from seepage around the area of the Atlanta airport, meaning any contaminants from that area can reach the river more easily.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Instead of drifting away, those pollutants and smells are concentrating right in your neighborhood.—
Ahmad Bajjey,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Chattahoochee Riverkeeper sued Atlanta in federal court in September 2024 after the group’s water monitors detected high levels of bacteria and other pollutants in the wastewater the city was discharging into the river.—
Drew Kann,
AJC.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adulterant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adulterant. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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