as in polluted
containing foreign or lower-grade substances
the outbreak of food poisoning was traced to adulterated ground beef
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in diluted
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 adulterated
chicagotribune.com, 9 Dec. 2021
Navarro and Rhein pleaded guilty to their roles in the distribution of adulterated and misbranded drugs.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2021
Gege Reed, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adulterated
Adjective
Brasch, 61, of Skokie, is specifically charged with receipt in interstate commerce and delivery of an adulterated device, the release said.
—chicagotribune.com, 9 Dec. 2021
Navarro and Rhein pleaded guilty to their roles in the distribution of adulterated and misbranded drugs.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2021
Verb
Food and/or ice adulterated or contaminated.
—Gege Reed, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adulterated
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adulterated
Adjective
-
Established under the Carter administration in 1980 and now largely funded through dedicated taxes reinstated by the Biden administration’s infrastructure law, the Superfund program is used for clearing up polluted land and handling environmental crises such as oil spills and natural disasters.—
David Lightman,
Sacbee.com,
29 Sep. 2025
-
The river will still become polluted after heavy rainfalls due to runoff from the streets and flushing of city sewage systems.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Bitcoin treasury craze cools Companies that diluted their stock by selling shares specifically to fund Bitcoin purchases have seen their values tumble by 20% to 50%, according to the WSJ.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Because Castile soap has a high pH-level, care should be taken to ensure it’s properly diluted before use.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
In the following years, MSF provided chelation to thousands of children and the government and community organizations undertook the complex job of environmental remediation, laying fresh soil over acres of contaminated land to prevent continued poisoning.—
Tom Frieden,
Big Think,
30 Sep. 2025
-
What stores carried the possibly contaminated shrimp?—
Chad Murphy,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
For example, Wilson’s team is exploring whether dilute acids speed up weathering.—
Robert F. Service,
Science | AAAS,
3 Sep. 2020
-
The company reported a net loss during the first quarter of $3.9 million, or 11 cents diluted loss per share, compared to a net income of $4.3 million, or 12 cents dilute earnings per share over the same period last year.—
Paul Takahashi,
Houston Chronicle,
5 June 2018
Adjective
-
Brazil’s Health Ministry is warning people to avoid cocktails after tainted liquor killed at least one person, blinded others and fueled a nationwide panic.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Brigadier General Edwin Urrego, commander of the Metropolitan Police, initially told local outlets that seven people had been found dead as a result of consuming the tainted liquor.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The election will fill 210 parliamentary seats under a mixed system in which two-thirds of lawmakers are elected by local bodies and one-third appointed directly by the president.—
Eyad Kourdi,
CNN Money,
5 Oct. 2025
-
The move has garnered mixed reactions on social media.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The blended tortilla chips add a subtle corn flavor.—
Cameron Beall,
Southern Living,
6 Oct. 2025
-
The Kardashians star has a blended family with Barker, the drummer for Blink-182.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Adulterated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adulterated. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share