contaminated 1 of 2

adjective

kən-ˈta-mə-ˌnā-təd How to pronounce contaminated (audio)
Definition of contaminatednext
as in polluted
containing foreign or lower-grade substances the hospitals had no choice but to throw out the contaminated blood supply

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

contaminated

2 of 2

verb

past tense of contaminate
as in poisoned
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 contaminated
Adjective
The parasite infects food that has come into contact with human feces, most commonly when produce is irrigated or washed with contaminated water. — Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026 The infection is caused by ingesting the microscopic cyclospora parasite, typically from contaminated food. — Bloomberg, Oc Register, 3 Aug. 2026
Verb
The parasite is spread by consuming food or water that is contaminated by human feces. — Marissa Perlman, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026 Legionnaires' disease is a severe form of pneumonia that is caused by inhaling the Legionella bacteria in small droplets of water mixed in the air or contaminated water accidentally going into the lungs. — Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 31 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for contaminated
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contaminated
  1. polluted
  2. poisoned
  3. diluted
  4. dilute
  5. tainted
Adjective
  • Turner has pointed out that Santa Clara County, the heart of Silicon Valley, is among the most polluted places in America, while roughly a quarter of local families experience food insecurity.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026
  • And humans and our behaviors are one of the biggest reasons our river water becomes polluted.
    — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of polluted
Verb
  • The types of crimes weren’t spelled out, but imagine that a President, say, poisoned his estranged spouse and concealed the crime until after leaving the White House.
    — Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
  • In addition to the 10 discovered last weekend, two trees were found poisoned in late July and four more in May, Raymore said.
    — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of poisoned
Adjective
  • For mild nausea, massage a few drops of diluted peppermint oil directly on the stomach.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
  • When leaders launch dozens of initiatives at once, accountability becomes diluted and teams struggle to distinguish the critical work from the merely urgent.
    — Basant Singh, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of diluted
Adjective
  • Finally, the third recruits seaweed to gather minerals that are otherwise too dilute to chase.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 27 July 2026
  • Clean and disinfect your pruning shears between working on each plant by dipping them into a dilute 10% solution of chlorine bleach water or rubbing alcohol.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 4 July 2026
Definition of dilute
Adjective
  • Diarrhea has been a headline story in the United States this summer, with thousands of cases of explosive diarrhea traced to Cyclospora from tainted lettuce –- and the first two deaths from the outbreak now confirmed in Michigan.
    — Joseph Kim, NPR, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Surveys of tainted products have also repeatedly found more than one undeclared active ingredient in the same capsule.
    — Jesse M. Pines, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of tainted

Browse Nearby Words

contaminate
contaminated
contaminates
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Cite this Entry

“Contaminated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contaminated. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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