CONTAMINATE Synonyms: 40 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'contaminate' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of contaminate are defile , pollute , and taint . While all these words mean "to make impure or unclean," contaminate implies intrusion of or contact with dirt or foulness from an outside source. // water contaminated by industrial wastes

Q: When can 'defile' be used instead of 'contaminate'?

Although the words defile and contaminate have much in common, defile implies befouling of what could or should have been kept clean and pure or held sacred and commonly suggests violation or desecration. // defile a hero's memory with slanderous innuendo

Q: When is 'pollute' a more appropriate choice than 'contaminate'?

The synonyms pollute and contaminate are sometimes interchangeable, but pollute , sometimes interchangeable with contaminate , distinctively may imply that the process which begins with contamination is complete and that what was pure or clean has been made foul, poisoned, or filthy. // the polluted waters of the river

Q: When is it sensible to use 'taint' instead of 'contaminate'?

The words taint and contaminate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, taint stresses the loss of purity or cleanliness that follows contamination. // tainted meat // a politician's tainted reputation

contaminate

verb

kən-ˈta-mə-ˌnāt

Definition of contaminate next

as in to pollute

to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable a supply of drinking water that was contaminated by a toxic waste dump

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How does the verb contaminate contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of contaminate are defile, pollute, and taint. While all these words mean "to make impure or unclean," contaminate implies intrusion of or contact with dirt or foulness from an outside source.

water contaminated by industrial wastes

When can defile be used instead of contaminate?

Although the words defile and contaminate have much in common, defile implies befouling of what could or should have been kept clean and pure or held sacred and commonly suggests violation or desecration.

defile a hero's memory with slanderous innuendo

When is pollute a more appropriate choice than contaminate?

The synonyms pollute and contaminate are sometimes interchangeable, but pollute, sometimes interchangeable with contaminate, distinctively may imply that the process which begins with contamination is complete and that what was pure or clean has been made foul, poisoned, or filthy.

the polluted waters of the river

When is it sensible to use taint instead of contaminate?

The words taint and contaminate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, taint stresses the loss of purity or cleanliness that follows contamination.

tainted meat

a politician's tainted reputation

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 contaminate The state's top criminal appeals court ruled that the Texas law on DNA testing doesn't apply to items that may have been contaminated. —

CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026 In the 1950s and 1960s, property owners would just put new tanks next to the old ones rather than pulling out tanks that might leak and contaminate the soil and potentially groundwater. —

Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2026 An ingredient used in the meatloaf may be contaminated with salmonella, the recall notice says. —

Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 17 Mar. 2026 But the tunnels would then be contaminated and unusable, and the team would need to be careful about its own safety. —

Matthew Bunn, The Conversation, 17 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for contaminate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for contaminate

Verb

Decades of such spills and gas flares polluted and degraded the natural environment, while successive Nigerian governments failed to develop our economies.

— Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
Following the legal order to stop polluting, the state issued DTE four more air quality violations.

— CBS News, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026