adulterate 1 of 2

adjective

ə-ˈdəl-t(ə-)rət How to pronounce adulterate (audio)
Definition of adulteratenext
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

Relevance

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

adulterate

2 of 2

verb

ə-ˈdəl-tə-ˌrāt How to pronounce adulterate (audio)
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of adulterate
Verb
Some olive oils are adulterated, which means other substances may be added to them to lower the quality—and often manufacturing costs—while increasing the amount in the bottle. — Sohaib Imtiaz, Verywell Health, 27 Apr. 2026 Naloxone, the active drug in Narcan, is only effective on opioids and not on stimulants like cocaine, which would suggest the substance Dick used was adulterated with an opiate such as fentanyl. — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 4 Mar. 2026 Instead, dealers usually adulterate their drugs, combining fentanyl with inert powders such as sugar and baby powder, or mixing in other drugs to stretch the active ingredient. — Charles Fain Lehman, The Atlantic, 20 Jan. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for adulterate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adulterate
  1. dilute
  2. adulterous
  3. pollute
  4. polluted
  5. extramarital
  6. adulterated
  7. extracurricular
  8. diluted
Adjective
  • Finally, the third recruits seaweed to gather minerals that are otherwise too dilute to chase.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 27 July 2026
  • Clean and disinfect your pruning shears between working on each plant by dipping them into a dilute 10% solution of chlorine bleach water or rubbing alcohol.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 4 July 2026
Definition of dilute
Adjective
  • With all respect to West’s previous cheating-on-television canon, War might be his finest adulterous work.
    — Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 24 Oct. 2026
  • All the while, though, Dylan was also getting a taste of what was becoming Swinging London, thanks to the play’s director, Philip Saville, and Saville’s adulterous lover, a gorgeous and brilliant painter named Pauline Boty.
    — Sean Wilentz, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of adulterous
Verb
  • Already, nearly 18 million people in the United States, including more than 1 million young children, live near oil and gas wells that will now pollute more freely because of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s actions.
    — Elizabeth Bechard, Time, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The new developments have been singled out for loud noise, polluting power generation, and for disturbing residential neighborhoods and natural landscapes.
    — Shannon Osaka, Washington Post, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of pollute
Adjective
  • Generations of Black children lived, learned, and played on the polluted land.
    — Yona Gavino, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2026
  • In early October, an agency field staffer requested that Citation install a specialized well in the Bayou to pump out polluted groundwater, according to a report in the agency’s incident database.
    — Nick Bowlin, ProPublica, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of polluted
Adjective
  • Miller—who is no stranger to extramarital tabloid scandals herself—has also mastered her getting-cheated-on performances.
    — Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 24 Oct. 2026
  • At work, Satoko attempts to create a campaign for a new Korean baseball drama that her company is releasing, but after hours she is involved in an extramarital affair with a business associate, Muramoto (Joe Odagiri).
    — James Marsh, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of extramarital
Adjective
  • Navarro, who pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy in August, was sentenced Friday in Manhattan by federal Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil for being part of a conspiracy to distribute and administer adulterated and misbranded drugs for racehorses.
    — Stephen Edelson, The Courier-Journal, 18 Dec. 2021
Definition of adulterated
Adjective
  • On Tuesday, about 79% of Orange voters chose to renew the tax, which is projected to generate about $255 million this year to fund hundreds of teacher salaries and support extracurricular programs.
    — Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The six core areas that are typically reviewed by courts are student assignment, faculty assignment, staff assignment, transportation, facilities and extracurricular activities, though other areas can also be considered.
    — Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of extracurricular
Adjective
  • The crowd gave a relatively diluted response, and then the cameras panned to several Warriors players who appeared to be laughing.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Researchers place powdered magnet waste in an electrochemical cell, where an electrolyte such as diluted sulfuric acid provides the medium for chemical reactions.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of diluted

Browse Nearby Words

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adulterate
adulterated
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Cite this Entry

“Adulterate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adulterate. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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