as in polluting
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of contaminating
Until the 1990s, the power company disposed of over 1 million tons of coal ash in an unlined storage area in Pines, later contaminating the groundwater that supplied the town of 700.
—
Christiana Freitag,
Chicago Tribune,
13 June 2026
Humans, on the other hand, are almost like an invasive species, with air filters lining the floors changing out all of the factory’s air in just a single minute to make sure those bags of flesh and blood don’t release too many contaminating particles.
—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
10 June 2026
But across Oklahoma, the fluid is spreading uncontrollably belowground, blasting out of old, unplugged wells, polluting land and contaminating drinking water.
—
Katie Campbell,
ProPublica,
2 June 2026
Some medical clinics advertise microdosing Zepbound by drawing up less than the full amount in the single-use vial, but this has not been studied, and there is a risk of contaminating the vial by using it more than once.
—
Jody Dushay,
STAT,
29 May 2026
That threatened nearby water supplies, the agency found, by contaminating groundwaters above federal safety standards.
—
ArsTechnica,
29 May 2026
This includes information flowing in directions nobody mapped, assumptions contaminating processes nobody audited and outputs consumed by systems nobody connected on paper.
—
Barbara Wittmann,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
Investigators eventually suspected that the bacteria were airborne and had infected people after contaminating the air conditioning system at the convention hotel.
—
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
For every grousing old-timer who felt that Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman was contaminating the genre came another who expressed sheer joy that such a show even existed.
—
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
Christiana Freitag,
Chicago Tribune,
13 June 2026
Humans, on the other hand, are almost like an invasive species, with air filters lining the floors changing out all of the factory’s air in just a single minute to make sure those bags of flesh and blood don’t release too many contaminating particles.
—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
10 June 2026
But across Oklahoma, the fluid is spreading uncontrollably belowground, blasting out of old, unplugged wells, polluting land and contaminating drinking water.
—
Katie Campbell,
ProPublica,
2 June 2026
Some medical clinics advertise microdosing Zepbound by drawing up less than the full amount in the single-use vial, but this has not been studied, and there is a risk of contaminating the vial by using it more than once.
—
Jody Dushay,
STAT,
29 May 2026
That threatened nearby water supplies, the agency found, by contaminating groundwaters above federal safety standards.
—
ArsTechnica,
29 May 2026
This includes information flowing in directions nobody mapped, assumptions contaminating processes nobody audited and outputs consumed by systems nobody connected on paper.
—
Barbara Wittmann,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
Investigators eventually suspected that the bacteria were airborne and had infected people after contaminating the air conditioning system at the convention hotel.
—
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
For every grousing old-timer who felt that Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman was contaminating the genre came another who expressed sheer joy that such a show even existed.
—
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contaminating
Verb
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In a highly unusual move, the US Justice Department has urged a federalcourt to throw out a lawsuit against Elon Musk’s company xAI for its use of polluting gas turbines — sparking concerns the government is trying to undermine the ability of individuals or communities to sue polluters.
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Perversely, this exemption may encourage companies to switch to highly-polluting diesel engines to avoid idling fines.
Verb
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One of Robinson's attorneys, Kathryn Nester, also represented Kouri Richins, who was convicted of poisoning her husband, Eric Richins, in March 2022.
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Lewis was accused of poisoning two white female housemates, assaulted by a white mob in response to the charge, and acquitted in court, only to then be accused of stealing art supplies and prohibited from reënrolling.
Cite this Entry
“Contaminating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contaminating. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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