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
Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
But perhaps most significantly, these changes may be linked to cyanobacteria, toxic microbes often found in polluted waters.
—Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 14 Oct. 2025
Legislators passed a nonbinding resolution to return a parcel by a shopping mall in Syracuse, but that area turned out to be too polluted.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2025
The polluted site will be made safe with an 18-inch surface cover of clean soil over a demarcation barrier.
—Jc Reindl, Freep.com, 9 Oct. 2025
Part of the environmental movement in the seventies and eighties was that these water bodies, Santa Monica Bay was too polluted to swim in.
—Outside Online, 1 Oct. 2025
Established under the Carter administration in 1980 and now largely funded through dedicated taxes reinstated by the Biden administration’s infrastructure law, the Superfund program is used for clearing up polluted land and handling environmental crises such as oil spills and natural disasters.
—David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 29 Sep. 2025
The river will still become polluted after heavy rainfalls due to runoff from the streets and flushing of city sewage systems.
—Michael Loria, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
Discharge of polluted water and discarded electronic components into rivers, groundwater supplies, landfills, or unregulated recycling facilities results in the hazardous materials gradually seeping into surrounding soil and water systems.
—Michaela Rychetska, JSTOR Daily, 18 Sep. 2025
Laura Schulte, jsonline.com, 17 Oct. 2025
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, women in cobalt-mining regions have reported reproductive-health concerns such as miscarriages and birth defects; cobalt mining has also polluted croplands.
—Scott W. Stern, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2025
Directed by series veteran David Silverman, the movie’s plot saw Springfield being confined under a massive glass dome after Homer accidentally polluted the town’s lake.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 29 Sep. 2025
The story there was that Homer had accidentally polluted the town's water supply, and the Simpson family members were declared fugitives by the Environmental Protection Agency.
—Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Sep. 2025
However, by the late 1920s, the river was once again polluted by industrial and human runoff and was deemed unsafe for swimming.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2025
The area is significantly polluted with DDT, a chemical used as an insecticide that was banned in 1972.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Sep. 2025
The Grand Calumet River and Indiana Harbor Ship Canal — located in East Chicago — were polluted from more than a century of industrial and municipal wastewater discharges, and caused multiple grassroots organizations to advocate for cleanup measures along the river.
—Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 26 Aug. 2025
My experience of the internet, when constrained to apps, has become further polluted by an inability to turn off ads.
—Lucy Handley, Big Think, 25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Authorities add that polluted water, marine debris, and unstable cliffs may also pose hazards, according to a webpage from the National Park Service (NPS).
—Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
But perhaps most significantly, these changes may be linked to cyanobacteria, toxic microbes often found in polluted waters.
—Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 14 Oct. 2025
Legislators passed a nonbinding resolution to return a parcel by a shopping mall in Syracuse, but that area turned out to be too polluted.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2025
The polluted site will be made safe with an 18-inch surface cover of clean soil over a demarcation barrier.
—Jc Reindl, Freep.com, 9 Oct. 2025
Part of the environmental movement in the seventies and eighties was that these water bodies, Santa Monica Bay was too polluted to swim in.
—Outside Online, 1 Oct. 2025
Established under the Carter administration in 1980 and now largely funded through dedicated taxes reinstated by the Biden administration’s infrastructure law, the Superfund program is used for clearing up polluted land and handling environmental crises such as oil spills and natural disasters.
—David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 29 Sep. 2025
The river will still become polluted after heavy rainfalls due to runoff from the streets and flushing of city sewage systems.
—Michael Loria, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
Discharge of polluted water and discarded electronic components into rivers, groundwater supplies, landfills, or unregulated recycling facilities results in the hazardous materials gradually seeping into surrounding soil and water systems.
—Michaela Rychetska, JSTOR Daily, 18 Sep. 2025
Verb
That includes farmers who have had sludge from water treatment plants spread on their land containing PFAS, fire departments, airports and municipalities, people who own land that was polluted by PFAS originating from another nearby property or waste facilities that accepted PFAS.
—Laura Schulte, jsonline.com, 17 Oct. 2025
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, women in cobalt-mining regions have reported reproductive-health concerns such as miscarriages and birth defects; cobalt mining has also polluted croplands.
—Scott W. Stern, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2025
Directed by series veteran David Silverman, the movie’s plot saw Springfield being confined under a massive glass dome after Homer accidentally polluted the town’s lake.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 29 Sep. 2025
The story there was that Homer had accidentally polluted the town's water supply, and the Simpson family members were declared fugitives by the Environmental Protection Agency.
—Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Sep. 2025
However, by the late 1920s, the river was once again polluted by industrial and human runoff and was deemed unsafe for swimming.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2025
The area is significantly polluted with DDT, a chemical used as an insecticide that was banned in 1972.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Sep. 2025
The Grand Calumet River and Indiana Harbor Ship Canal — located in East Chicago — were polluted from more than a century of industrial and municipal wastewater discharges, and caused multiple grassroots organizations to advocate for cleanup measures along the river.
—Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 26 Aug. 2025
My experience of the internet, when constrained to apps, has become further polluted by an inability to turn off ads.
—Lucy Handley, Big Think, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for polluted
Adjective
-
There are systems in place to help address the issue of contaminated medications.—
Gabrielle Emanuel,
NPR,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Consumers who have received the affected HelloFresh meals are urged not to consume the contaminated product and to throw them away immediately.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
One of the jurors said deliberations were poisoned by a belief among some jurors that a member of the panel had been paid off by Weinstein or his lawyers.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
11 Oct. 2025
-
His family believed he had been poisoned by the spirit, according to the Tennessee State Museum.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Suddenly, my spotless record was tainted.—
Joe Garcia,
New Yorker,
12 Oct. 2025
-
To this day, their armed forces remain tainted by the weight of their misrule and repression some 50 years ago.—
Kristina Mani,
The Conversation,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Empty the bird baths and wash them with a diluted solution of vinegar and water, and dry before refilling.—
Joan Morris,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
-
If your napkin is saturated in grease, soaking it in a diluted vinegar mixture will help remove the greasy feel and smell while also softening the fibers.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
13 Oct. 2025
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
-
According to the Center for Migration Studies, mass deportations threaten to break up nearly 5 million mixed status families -- those with at least one undocumented resident.—
Laura Romero,
ABC News,
19 Oct. 2025
-
The postgame reception was mixed.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
France has Europe’s largest population of Muslims, over 6 million, for whom pigs are considered impure.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Even the most natural parts of many women’s lives — such as menstruation, clothing or even breastfeeding — can be framed as being impure or as moral transgressions.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Polluted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/polluted. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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