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
Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Apr. 2025
Ground coffee was often about 80 to 90 percent adulterated in the mid-19th century, says Blum.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 1 May 2025
Acid Red 18 is not allowed, so the product is considered adulterated.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
Of course, a lot of us have the natural instinct to drink cask strength whiskey neat, as if adding water is needlessly adulterating the spirit, or worse yet, a sign of wimpiness.
—Tony Sachs, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adulterate
Verb
For years, Vietnamese and Indian exporters have been adulterating honey with cane, rice, and corn sweeteners before dumping it on the U.S. domestic market.
—Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Apr. 2025
Ground coffee was often about 80 to 90 percent adulterated in the mid-19th century, says Blum.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 1 May 2025
Acid Red 18 is not allowed, so the product is considered adulterated.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
Of course, a lot of us have the natural instinct to drink cask strength whiskey neat, as if adding water is needlessly adulterating the spirit, or worse yet, a sign of wimpiness.
—Tony Sachs, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adulterate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adulterate
Adjective
-
Vinegar, which is really dilute acetic acid, will help the milk curdle by further denaturing the whey proteins and neutralizing negative charges at the surface of casein micelles.—
Liz Roth-Johnson,
Discover Magazine,
12 Feb. 2013
-
However toxic a substance may be, the amount of exposure received by the general population is very dilute.—
George Johnson,
Discover Magazine,
8 July 2013
Adjective
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The supernatural thriller sees a woman return from death as a vindictive spirit to torment her adulterous husband.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
26 June 2025
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But with a twist so big — Sarah being the killer of her adulterous husband Adam’s mistress, Kelly Summers, and the one who set him up for the murder while simultaneously defending him tooth and nail in court — where was Rose to go after that?—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
29 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
If contaminated floodwater is swallowed, or pollutes drinking water, this can lead to gastrointestinal illnesses such as stomach pain, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.—
ByMary Kekatos,
ABC News,
11 July 2025
-
For decades, biologists have studied how cities affect wildlife by altering food supplies, fragmenting habitats and polluting the environment.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 July 2025
Adjective
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Columnist Phil Boas writes about the now-former tech CEO whose extramarital affair with his HR director was unwittingly exposed on a Coldplay kiss cam.—
Joanna Allhands,
AZCentral.com,
23 July 2025
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Showcasing his extramarital affair while holding a leadership position raised several eyebrows amongst Safari Club members, and ultimately led to his ousting from the organization.—
Lynsey Eidell,
People.com,
23 July 2025
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
-
For years, students and parents have focused on grades, test scores, and extracurricular activities as the main pillars of a strong college application.—
Gerald Bradshaw,
Chicago Tribune,
17 July 2025
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In addition to playing on her high school badminton team, Ava’s extracurricular activities have included an Alzheimer’s fundraising club at Canyon Crest Academy and founding a student chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association of San Diego.—
News Release,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 July 2025
Adjective
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That said, the airline booked a gain on investment of $735 million as a non-operating income which resulted in net income of $2.1 billion or $3.27 per diluted share.—
Ankita Dhawan,
Forbes.com,
12 July 2025
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Adjusted earnings rose 39 percent to $89 million, or 22 cents a diluted share.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
10 July 2025
Adjective
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During a flood, avoid floodwaters and move to higher ground immediately; after a flood, avoid contaminated water and wait for authorities to declare the area safe.—
Mariyam Muhammad,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
16 July 2025
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Bruner theorizes the worms and their eggs are being moved through contaminated soil, mulch and compost.—
Sophie Hartley,
IndyStar,
16 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Adulterate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adulterate. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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