as in filthy
not clean
given the task of cleaning the animals' befouled pens
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in stained
to make dirty
unsightly mud and slush befouls the family car every winter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in polluted
to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable
the enemy had befouled the water in all of the area's wells with animal carcasses
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of befouled
Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Jim Turner, Miami Herald, 15 May 2026
Los Angeles, that magical realm of shimmering natural beauty, was befouled by smog — maybe forever.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Fennell also cut the novel’s frame story, in which the events of the story are told by the housekeeper Nelly (played in the movie by Hong Chau) to an outside observer years after all the sorrowful drama that befouled Heathcliff and Cathy.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2026
They should not be thrown, jumped off, eaten, screamed at, or otherwise befouled.
—Eddie Small, New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
The Twits, simply trying to promote their befouled business interests, launch a campaign to restore past greatness.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Verb
That will prevent polluted excess water being sent on estuaries east and west of the lake that have befouled waters with blue-green algae that has led to massive deaths of marine life within the past decade.
—Jim Turner, Miami Herald, 15 May 2026
Los Angeles, that magical realm of shimmering natural beauty, was befouled by smog — maybe forever.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Fennell also cut the novel’s frame story, in which the events of the story are told by the housekeeper Nelly (played in the movie by Hong Chau) to an outside observer years after all the sorrowful drama that befouled Heathcliff and Cathy.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2026
They should not be thrown, jumped off, eaten, screamed at, or otherwise befouled.
—Eddie Small, New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befouled
Adjective
-
For example, the prescription offered by those who saw a generally healthy way of life as the right way to prevent disease helped propel cleaning up the filthy cities of the Industrial Revolution—and that really did reduce the impact of common fevers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
For your pickle cravings, there’s no shortage of fantastically filthy martinis chock-full of brine.—
Anna Grace Lee,
Vogue,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
And mid-century doors stained in a rich coral lacquer.—
Jessica Swannie,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Dec. 2025
-
Leather and Suede Coats These natural animal hide coats should be cleaned by a professional at the end of the winter season or if they are heavily stained.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
9 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
At the latter, four local farmers show The Athletic water courses polluted with crude oil.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
-
However, the oceans are in trouble and are constantly polluted with plastic, particularly single-use plastic bags, which is a huge problem.—
Kelsey Glennon,
Travel + Leisure,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
The land, unfenced, abuts a bald blackened hillside that must be public land.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
At Dilara Findikoglu, models looked like ladies in waiting that had risen from the dead; wearing antiquated corsetry that was dirtied and torn.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
23 Sep. 2025
-
Some were prosthetic buttocks, but others were people’s own buttocks, but in various states, like dirtied down and with partial covering.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
1 July 2025
Verb
-
Last year, harmful algae blooming off Southern California poisoned hundreds of dolphins and sea lions off Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties, causing strandings along popular beaches.—
Paul Rogers,
Mercury News,
15 June 2026
-
The incident saw former Russian military officer and British intelligence services double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia poisoned in Salisbury, England.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
It’s been too hot and too dry and too dusty and there was smoke in the air for a couple of days, which sets off my wildfire heckles.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
21 Aug. 2025
-
The Creed of Violence is hitting the dusty trail once again, with a new feature adaptation of the 2009 Boston Teran novel in the works.—
Aaron Couch,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Soap invited its viewers to take jabs at the genre in a time when the soap opera’s reputation had already been sullied in the American mind.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
He was accused of abusing boys, a charge that went unproven but sullied his reputation in Europe.—
Amanda Rosa
Updated April 28,
Miami Herald,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Befouled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befouled. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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