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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of adulterate
Tony Sachs, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025
The policy represents a major shift in the U.S. after years of successful lobbying by the pharmaceutical industry, which said imports would expose U.S. patients to risks of counterfeit or adulterated drugs.
—Matthew Perrone, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Jan. 2024
Or: If Amendment 3 passes, street dealers hoping to cultivate addiction by adulterating pot with some of the world’s most dangerous opioids would see a downturn in profits.
—Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 1 Nov. 2024
Check best-by dates Boar's Head Provisions Co., Inc. recalled all liverwurst product produced by the establishment that is currently available in commerce because it may be adulterated with Listeria monocytogenes.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American-Statesman, 29 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for adulterate
Verb
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
The policy represents a major shift in the U.S. after years of successful lobbying by the pharmaceutical industry, which said imports would expose U.S. patients to risks of counterfeit or adulterated drugs.
—Matthew Perrone, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Jan. 2024
Or: If Amendment 3 passes, street dealers hoping to cultivate addiction by adulterating pot with some of the world’s most dangerous opioids would see a downturn in profits.
—Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 1 Nov. 2024
Check best-by dates Boar's Head Provisions Co., Inc. recalled all liverwurst product produced by the establishment that is currently available in commerce because it may be adulterated with Listeria monocytogenes.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American-Statesman, 29 Aug. 2024
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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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
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Nor did anyone blink when Shonda Rhimes set Scandal within the White House of a wishy-washy, adulterous GOP President who’d unwittingly stolen an election.—
Judy Berman,
TIME,
20 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
The intent, the critics have said, is in fact to stifle findings about the noxious content that is increasingly polluting social media and political discourse.—
Steven Lee Myers,
New York Times,
15 May 2025
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Leaks from this antiquated sewer system are polluting Rock Creek and threaten the public health of all those who come in contact with it.—
Dan Gooding
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 May 2025
Adjective
-
Perhaps there is an extramarital affair that could be utilized, or maybe there is some evidence of tax evasion or illicit browsing habits.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
-
The emails also suggested the engineer responsible for executing the replacement was having an extramarital affair.—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
24 May 2025
Adjective
-
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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Butler stars as Hank Thompson, a former baseball player who lands himself in trouble after agreeing to house-sit for a neighbor, who is involved in some not-so-legal extracurricular activities.—
Jodi Guglielmi,
Rolling Stone,
21 May 2025
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Yorba, 18, said her awards, which included a $2,750 scholarship from the Ramona Garden Club, were based on her scholastic achievements and her involvement in extracurricular activities.—
Julie Gallant,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 May 2025
Adjective
-
In 2024, the retailer posted net income of $12 million, or 13 cents a diluted share, on total revenues of $7.99 billion, which included net sales of $7.97 billion.—
Vicki M. Young,
Footwear News,
16 May 2025
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The profit figure compared with a loss of $1.26 per diluted share in the year-ago quarter.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
8 May 2025
Adjective
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Consumption of contaminated food can cause salmonellosis, the most common symptoms of which are diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours after consumption.—
Meghan Overdeep,
Southern Living,
22 May 2025
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Most people infected with salmonella start developing symptoms 12 to 72 hours after eating the contaminated product.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
21 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Adulterate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adulterate. Accessed 30 May. 2025.
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