pollute

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb pollute contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of pollute are contaminate, defile, and taint. While all these words mean "to make impure or unclean," 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 can contaminate be used instead of pollute?

The words contaminate and pollute can be used in similar contexts, but contaminate implies intrusion of or contact with dirt or foulness from an outside source.

water contaminated by industrial wastes

When is defile a more appropriate choice than pollute?

The words defile and pollute are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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 it sensible to use taint instead of pollute?

The synonyms taint and pollute are sometimes interchangeable, but 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 pollute Just as pollution from early factories unexpectedly damaged the environment, AI systems risk polluting the digital environment by flooding the Internet with synthetic content. ArsTechnica, 25 Apr. 2025 The city’s growth has far outpaced the existing sewage treatment plants, and inadequate and broken facilities spew waste into the river, polluting the water and air in Imperial Beach and other communities near the border. Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2025 The layoffs were so abrupt, staff said, that lab animals were left without staff to care for them and had to be euthanized, and an experimental mine used to test protective gear beneath the agency’s Pittsburgh campus was at risk of flooding and polluting the surrounding environment. Mark Olalde, ProPublica, 21 Apr. 2025 This means that while some parts of the world experience water scarcity, vast amounts of clean water are being polluted or depleted to keep the fashion engine running. Dianne Plummer, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pollute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pollute
Verb
  • On Mother's Day, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shared photos of himself swimming alongside his grandchildren in Washington, D.C.'s Rock Creek, a waterway long known to be contaminated with high levels of bacteria.
    Dan Gooding Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025
  • The urban creek is contaminated mainly because of the numerous century-old municipal sewer lines that run under the park.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 12 May 2025
Verb
  • Years later, the toxic chemicals have poisoned Hong-rang’s body.
    Kayti Burt, Time, 16 May 2025
  • And two, baking soda is an indiscriminate weed killer that poisons the soil.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 16 May 2025
Verb
  • The decision paves the way for Rose and Jackson — two of baseball’s greatest players whose legacies were tainted by gambling — to gain admittance to the Hall of Fame.
    Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 13 May 2025
  • The defense, however, could again argue that the jury was tainted to the point that an instruction won’t fix the problem.
    Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 12 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Pollute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pollute. Accessed 25 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on pollute

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