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
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
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
-
Her jeans are filthy; her blonde hair hangs in loose, greasy strings; bruises speckle her thin arms, and there’s a patch of blood above her right eye.—
Outside,
Outside,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Allegations of betting on suicide Like other detainees, Ramsingh said that between cleanings, the rooms, restrooms and showers were often filthy and infested with insects.—
Morgan Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Worn Clothing Do not fill your dresser drawers with garments that have seen better days to the point that they're torn or stained.—
Sarah Lyon,
Southern Living,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Set in a landscape stained by red clay and bad blood, villainy is commonplace.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The copper-mining industry has so polluted the town that its air stinks and its mountains are covered in black ash.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
10 Mar. 2026
-
If our aquifer becomes massively polluted by cows, the clean water our rural communities and springs rely upon would be put at risk.—
Harper West,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The land, unfenced, abuts a bald blackened hillside that must be public land.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Aug. 2025
-
In its time open, fueled by fans of its blackened mahi and buttery lobster rolls, owner Mike Smith has expanded his footprint, moving into a larger stall in the popular food hall — which has allowed for a menu expansion, as well.—
Amy Drew Thompson,
Orlando Sentinel,
6 Dec. 2022
Verb
-
When stormwater dirtied by road runoff, failing septic tanks and fertilizer sullied crystal-clear rivers and lakes, and nobody cared.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Garments can be dirtied again by the elements if air-dried outside.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
20 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Nicholas and three of his playmates at the day care were poisoned by the lethal opioid, which the owners stored in a nap room, officials said.—
Sheetal Banchariya,
New York Daily News,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Other witnesses could include relatives of the defendant and her late husband, and friends of Eric Richins who have recounted phone conversations from the day prosecutors say he was first poisoned by his wife of nine years.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Be sure to stick around for the twice-daily gunfights staged in the dusty streets by local thespians in 10-gallon hats.—
Zoey Goto,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
-
After each dangerous sequence, however, the singer is shown casually brushing himself off and returning to set, while the stunt performers who executed the risky scenes appear bruised and dusty as filming wraps.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But a battlefield promotion to Ayatollah was arranged, blending faith with politics in an exercise that critics said sullied both even before Khamenei reinforced his position by earthly means, elevating the IRGC.—
Karl Vick,
Time,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Revelations in 2020 that Boohoo’s Leicester contractors were subjecting their workers to exploitative pay and unsafe conditions certainly sullied the Midlands city’s reputation.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Befouled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befouled. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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