1
as in dilute
containing foreign or lower-grade substances
the pharmacist was convicted of selling adulterate drugs in order to maximize profits
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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
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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
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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
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Flea Treatment Market Is Ripe For Innovation Though safer options exist, companies should innovate to find more solutions that protect our pets without polluting the planet.—
Arlene Blum,
Forbes.com,
31 July 2025
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The other is synthetic, manmade, utilitarian and crumbles within decades but pollutes the environment forever.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
29 July 2025
Adjective
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Take Ashley Madison for example, a dating website specifically marketed to people seeking extramarital affairs, which suffered a massive data breach in 2015.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Aug. 2025
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Fergie also had extramarital affairs, including with American Steve Wyatt and his friend John Bryan, according to the book.—
Staff Author,
People.com,
6 Aug. 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
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Admissions officers assess your extracurricular record with an eye to initiative and authenticity.—
Liz Doe Stone,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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Vazquez said she was impressed by how detailed the handbook is, promising a safe educational environment and opportunities for athletics and extracurricular activities.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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While its early chapters brimmed with connection, the latest reveals strain: diluted trust, fraying fandom, speculative thrill substituting for substance.—
Kate Hardcastle,
Forbes.com,
4 Aug. 2025
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Smoosh with your fingers, spritz them off with a sharp stream of water, or spray with diluted rubbing alcohol.—
Nan Sterman,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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If conditions persist and there is no clean water or sanitation infrastructure, then people have no choice but to consume contaminated water, says environmental engineer Antarpreet Jutla of the University of Florida.—
Andrea Tamayo,
Scientific American,
15 Aug. 2025
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After the storm, follow local guidance, wear protective gear during cleanup, and avoid contact with wet electrical equipment or contaminated water.—
Hannah Parry
Amanda Castro
Anna Commander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Adulterate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adulterate. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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