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
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
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
-
Food that needed to be trashed for age or temperature abuse, malodorous air and filthy food containers were among the 33 violations an inspector found at a popular Miami seafood restaurant.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The girl from Santo Domingo’s bajo mundo made her name rapping gleefully filthy dembow in space-punk regalia.—
E.R. Pulgar,
Pitchfork,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Additional surveillance footage showed Marcelin in his building's laundry room cleaning a kitchen mat that appears stained with blood, according to prosecutors.—
Ben Brachfeld,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
-
One of them, Amy, a blond child with limp ponytails and a thin dress that looks like it might have been stained, stands outside a porch door, her fists balled up, mouth open, angry or unhappy or both.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
There is no remediation if the waters in it are polluted by copper sulfide and nickel mining.—
Mary Murphy,
Twin Cities,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The heavy elements produced in the violent death of one first generation star swiftly polluted a primordial cloud of molecular hydrogen and helium that subsequently collapsed to form SDSS J0715-7334.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
16 Apr. 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
-
Weinstein’s lawyers have argued that his New York conviction last year was poisoned by bad blood among jurors.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Could Ty Jones, whose autopsy said the 33-year-old died of heart issues, have been poisoned too?—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Robert Pattinson jumped on the dusty-pink trend, strapping on a Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre Chronograph Moon with a copper-colored dial for the New York premiere of The Drama.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Across the river in Mexico, men hawk rides in their dusty pick-ups, on horseback or by donkey, to take tourists three-quarters of a mile up a dirt road.—
Lauren Villagran,
USA Today,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Crowds were relatively small last month, especially compared to March weekends in the years after the COVID pandemic, when thousands of young people packed Ocean Drive and the party was sullied by shootings, stampedes and curfews.—
Aaron Leibowitz,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Befouled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befouled. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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