1
as in dilute
containing foreign or lower-grade substances
the pharmacist was convicted of selling adulterate drugs in order to maximize profits
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in adulterous
relating to or being a sexual encounter or relationship between a married person and someone other than their spouse
caught red-handed in what he claimed was his first adulterate encounter
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in to dilute
to alter (something) for the worse with the addition of foreign or lower-grade substances
the company was fined for adulterating its "all beef" frankfurters with cereal
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of adulterate
Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 17 Jan. 2026
Fruits, leafy greens and other produce can become adulterated with listeria through fecal contamination, which can occur through wastewater, water in the growing area, fertilizer and the proximity of said growing area to livestock, USA TODAY previously reported.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Real Madrid chief Florentino Perez was dead against the idea, with his club arguing that breaking the traditional home and away format adulterated the competition, while also expressing concern over participating teams gaining a financial advantage.
—Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Food and/or ice adulterated or contaminated.
—Gege Reed, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adulterate
Verb
This comes after Martin pled guilty to willfully poisoning or adulterating food, water or medicine, which is a felony offense in Nevada.
—Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 17 Jan. 2026
Fruits, leafy greens and other produce can become adulterated with listeria through fecal contamination, which can occur through wastewater, water in the growing area, fertilizer and the proximity of said growing area to livestock, USA TODAY previously reported.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Real Madrid chief Florentino Perez was dead against the idea, with his club arguing that breaking the traditional home and away format adulterated the competition, while also expressing concern over participating teams gaining a financial advantage.
—Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Food and/or ice adulterated or contaminated.
—Gege Reed, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adulterate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adulterate
Adjective
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But dwarf galaxies are smaller and colder, with more dilute and slower-moving matter.—
Paul M. Sutter,
Scientific American,
6 May 2026
-
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
Adjective
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Fiction is inherently adulterous.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
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But the gamesmanship, foreshadowing the adulterous antics of Harold Pinter’s plays, escalates perilously.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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See, scientists know human drugs pollute aquatic environments – past studies have shown even anti-anxiety drugs can change how fish act.—
Regina G. Barber,
NPR,
12 May 2026
-
Toilet paper, a product that is used for a few seconds before being disposed of forever, is typically made with trees, energy-intensive manufacturing processes and chemicals that can pollute the environment.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
Adjective
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Warning signs along the shoreline caution that exposure could lead to illness as polluted runoff enters the Pacific Ocean.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
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Northern India already has some of the world’s most polluted air, created by a toxic mix of vehicle and industrial emissions, crop residue burning, and construction dust.—
Ayushi Shah,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
Adjective
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These included revealing the extramarital affair of the engineer in charge of replacing the model if the replacement went through.—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
9 May 2026
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Cornyn’s campaign unveiled a new ad on Friday, comparing Paxton’s ethics to those of a strip club owner for having an extramarital affair.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
8 May 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
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Oh, and lots of extracurricular activities going on behind-the-scenes.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2026
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For students who are already balancing coursework, internships and extracurricular activities, those financial pressures can make the college experience more stressful.—
Camila Bretas,
Miami Herald,
6 May 2026
Adjective
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The company brought in diluted earnings of 3 cents per share, compared with a diluted loss per share of 81 cents for the year-ago period.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
6 May 2026
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Potted zucchini do better with diluted applications of liquid fertilizer applied at regular intervals.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adulterate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adulterate. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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