Synonyms of contaminate

contaminate

verb

kən-ˈta-mə-ˌnāt 

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

• pollute
• poison
• taint
• infect
• defile
• befoul
• soil
• dirty
• foul
• sully
• dilute
• besmirch
• stain
• smudge
• adulterate
• rot
• muddy
• blacken
• spoil
• corrupt
• foul up
• mire
• smirch
• water down
• grime
• begrime
• doctor

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• purify
• clean
• clarify
• cleanse
• purge
• clear
• decontaminate
• distill
• filter
• sterilize
• disinfect
• sanitize

Synonym Chooser

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

Recent Examples of contaminate

According to health and city officials, the people fell ill after drinking contaminated water from a water treatment plant which supplies water to several communities east of Pretoria. — ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026

There are those that have been studied for potential health risks (phthalates), those that could be contaminated with a harmful substance, and others that are just potentially irritating to some (certain sulfates). — Tracy Middleton, Allure, 19 Oct. 2026

Yuzhou Zhang, a biologist at Northwest A&F University in China, was studying how plants move in response to gravity in a laboratory in Austria when one of his agar plates became contaminated with airborne microbes. — Joanna Thompson, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2026

These measures reduce the risk that their microbe might contaminate the Red Planet as an invasive organism, especially if Mars ever did develop life of its own that might still exist in underground aquifers or within ancient salt crystals. — Charles Q. Choi, Space.com, 9 Oct. 2026

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