as in contaminated
containing foreign or lower-grade substances
called in to clean up the polluted stream
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in poisoned
to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable
outmoded factories polluting the air
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of polluted
Thomas Heaton, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
State officials issued islandwide brown water advisories for Oahu and Maui after storms sent polluted runoff into coastal waters.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026
The South Asian nation ranked the world’s most polluted country in 2025, according to the report.
—Esha Mitra, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2026
Since 2020, the central government has required factories in key industries, such as steel, cement, and coal power, to use a certain percentage of new-energy heavy trucks or face production restrictions on heavily polluted days.
—Xiaoying You, semafor.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Across the Northern Hemisphere, migratory fish such as salmon, sturgeon and shad have suffered major losses because rivers have been dammed and polluted, while many populations were heavily overfished.
—Zeb Hogan, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2026
The world’s top 25 most polluted cities were all in India, Pakistan and China.
—Reuters, NBC news, 24 Mar. 2026
Today, most of humanity only has access to a heavily polluted sky rather than the pristine views our ancestors enjoyed, but that sense of awe and wonder still remains.
—Big Think, 23 Mar. 2026
They have been linked to a vast number of health risks, but their effect on athletic performance has generally been studied only when people are racing or training in polluted environments.
—Richard A. Lovett, Outside, 19 Mar. 2026
Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
Many of those natural springs have either stopped flowing, been cut off by development or been polluted.
—Ryan Brennan
april 9, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
Unfortunately, many of those natural springs have either stopped flowing, been cut off by development or been polluted.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2026
In the Monsanto lawsuit, it is alleged that the company polluted Lake Michigan with PCBs, according to documents.
—Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
More spills polluted California’s beaches.
—Jeffrey Marlow, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026
Sometimes, the water can be polluted and not look brown, but more cloudy or even colorless.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026
Vermont became the first state to enact a climate superfund law, modeled on the federal superfund law that taxed petroleum and chemical companies to pay to clean up sites polluted by toxic waste.
—ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026
People of color like him and his family worked and lived surrounded by the industries that polluted their air, and many still do.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
Such assurances are unlikely to quell the community’s decades-long experience with polluted runoff, however, and small farmers say that runoff could also present a food safety problem and threaten to set back years of organic farming practices.
—Thomas Heaton, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
State officials issued islandwide brown water advisories for Oahu and Maui after storms sent polluted runoff into coastal waters.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026
The South Asian nation ranked the world’s most polluted country in 2025, according to the report.
—Esha Mitra, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2026
Since 2020, the central government has required factories in key industries, such as steel, cement, and coal power, to use a certain percentage of new-energy heavy trucks or face production restrictions on heavily polluted days.
—Xiaoying You, semafor.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Across the Northern Hemisphere, migratory fish such as salmon, sturgeon and shad have suffered major losses because rivers have been dammed and polluted, while many populations were heavily overfished.
—Zeb Hogan, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2026
The world’s top 25 most polluted cities were all in India, Pakistan and China.
—Reuters, NBC news, 24 Mar. 2026
Today, most of humanity only has access to a heavily polluted sky rather than the pristine views our ancestors enjoyed, but that sense of awe and wonder still remains.
—Big Think, 23 Mar. 2026
They have been linked to a vast number of health risks, but their effect on athletic performance has generally been studied only when people are racing or training in polluted environments.
—Richard A. Lovett, Outside, 19 Mar. 2026
Verb
The river has been polluted by pesticide and fertilizer runoff for years, and the mining water adds another burden, Deehan said.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
Many of those natural springs have either stopped flowing, been cut off by development or been polluted.
—Ryan Brennan
april 9, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
Unfortunately, many of those natural springs have either stopped flowing, been cut off by development or been polluted.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2026
In the Monsanto lawsuit, it is alleged that the company polluted Lake Michigan with PCBs, according to documents.
—Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
More spills polluted California’s beaches.
—Jeffrey Marlow, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026
Sometimes, the water can be polluted and not look brown, but more cloudy or even colorless.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026
Vermont became the first state to enact a climate superfund law, modeled on the federal superfund law that taxed petroleum and chemical companies to pay to clean up sites polluted by toxic waste.
—ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026
People of color like him and his family worked and lived surrounded by the industries that polluted their air, and many still do.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for polluted
Adjective
-
Jovanni periodically while Daniels followed instructions on cleaning, handwashing and keeping Jovanni away from contaminated dirt.—
Chris Bowling,
ProPublica,
15 Apr. 2026
-
People most at risk of health issues from PFAS include young children, people who are pregnant or breastfeeding, those who live in contaminated areas, or people — like firefighters or chemical manufacturers — who are exposed to PFAS on the job.—
Sponsored Content,
Denver Post,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Weinstein’s lawyers have argued that his New York conviction last year was poisoned by bad blood among jurors.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Could Ty Jones, whose autopsy said the 33-year-old died of heart issues, have been poisoned too?—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
And yet, for years, the air has been tainted.—
Walker Armstrong,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Of course, at the heart of it was the man himself, a deeply polarizing music icon whose years-long tirades against everyone from Jewish people to his peers tainted a legacy that once seemed unimpeachable.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Kondrat also recommends using diluted fertilizer throughout an orchid’s life, not just when starting a new plant.—
Leanne Potts,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Spray the area with the diluted vinegar and water mixture, and wipe it clean with a damp cloth to remove any residue.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Second, a dilute hydrochloric acid is used to dissolve the remaining lithium and the transition metals—nickel, cobalt, and manganese.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Oct. 2025
-
For example, Wilson’s team is exploring whether dilute acids speed up weathering.—
Robert F. Service,
Science | AAAS,
3 Sep. 2020
Adjective
-
The company in 2020 pleaded guilty to distributing adulterated ice-cream products and agreed to pay a fine over the outbreak.—
Dylan Tokar,
WSJ,
2 Feb. 2023
-
And while most of those overdoses involved the illicit synthetic opioid fentanyl, experts say that an adulterated and contaminated drug supply is also leading to deaths.—
Nadia Kounang,
CNN,
17 Mar. 2022
Adjective
-
The latest real estate report from Jones Lang LaSalle for the first quarter of the year painted a mixed picture.—
Noelle Harff,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Apr. 2026
-
San Francisco's iconic Fisherman's Wharf, which draws tourists from around the globe, has been garnering some mixed reactions from visitors.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Wise’s wistful songwriting is retained, but completely missing is his intentionally impure palette.—
Billie Bugara,
Pitchfork,
7 Mar. 2026
-
This is because they are often seen as ritually impure.—
Megan Bryson,
The Conversation,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Polluted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/polluted. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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