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
Irene Wright, USA Today, 26 May 2026
Families living in a toxic-waste polluted area around Naples were preparing to meet Pope Leo XIV during his pastoral visit on Saturday, carrying with them years of grief, anger and hopes for justice after losing children to cancer linked to a multi-billion mafia racket of dumping toxic waste.
—ABC News, 23 May 2026
Environmental non-profit group Heal the Bay ranked Santa Monica Pier among the Golden State’s most polluted beaches for the fifth year in a row.
—Teresa Mull, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2026
It's considered one of the most polluted zip codes in America.
—Chierstin Roth, CBS News, 19 May 2026
The scam driving the narrative is a live one, featuring the Gowanus Canal, then New York City’s most polluted body of water and ripe for development, a few dozen blocks north of Little Odessa.
—Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
Speaking of ventilation, don’t forget to breathe deep; a new electric air filter cleanses our world’s increasingly polluted atmosphere, an issue contributed to by the S-Class itself.
—Brett Berk, Robb Report, 15 May 2026
That will prevent polluted excess water being sent on estuaries east and west of the lake that have befouled waters with blue-green algae that has led to massive deaths of marine life within the past decade.
—Jim Turner, Miami Herald, 15 May 2026
Worse still, the heat makes spilled oil more toxic, with some scientists estimating that the Gulf is the most polluted marine basin in the world.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 14 May 2026
Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 27 May 2026
Supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party also took the discourse offline this week, dressing up as the insect to clean up India’s notoriously polluted Yamuna River in Delhi, according to news reports.
—Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 22 May 2026
However, the oceans are in trouble and are constantly polluted with plastic, particularly single-use plastic bags, which is a huge problem.
—Kelsey Glennon, Travel + Leisure, 18 May 2026
Testing by the University of Georgia that alerted the industry and state in 2008, when Bost was in her teens, showed the local Conasauga River that supplies the region’s drinking water was polluted.
—Dylan Jackson, ABC News, 6 May 2026
That is exactly what this film cleverly does — pinpoints the insidious nature of far-right movements and the creeping rhetoric that has polluted our society.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 30 Apr. 2026
Water sources are often polluted through run-off from lawns that contain herbicides.
—David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 28 Apr. 2026
As Mexico City has expanded, the Xochimilco water system has shrunk and become increasingly polluted, placing mounting pressure on the axolotl population.
—Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 28 Apr. 2026
There is no remediation if the waters in it are polluted by copper sulfide and nickel mining.
—Mary Murphy, Twin Cities, 17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
The emergency overflow meant untreated water and polluted stormwater discharged directly into the river.
—Irene Wright, USA Today, 26 May 2026
Families living in a toxic-waste polluted area around Naples were preparing to meet Pope Leo XIV during his pastoral visit on Saturday, carrying with them years of grief, anger and hopes for justice after losing children to cancer linked to a multi-billion mafia racket of dumping toxic waste.
—ABC News, 23 May 2026
Environmental non-profit group Heal the Bay ranked Santa Monica Pier among the Golden State’s most polluted beaches for the fifth year in a row.
—Teresa Mull, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2026
It's considered one of the most polluted zip codes in America.
—Chierstin Roth, CBS News, 19 May 2026
The scam driving the narrative is a live one, featuring the Gowanus Canal, then New York City’s most polluted body of water and ripe for development, a few dozen blocks north of Little Odessa.
—Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
Speaking of ventilation, don’t forget to breathe deep; a new electric air filter cleanses our world’s increasingly polluted atmosphere, an issue contributed to by the S-Class itself.
—Brett Berk, Robb Report, 15 May 2026
That will prevent polluted excess water being sent on estuaries east and west of the lake that have befouled waters with blue-green algae that has led to massive deaths of marine life within the past decade.
—Jim Turner, Miami Herald, 15 May 2026
Worse still, the heat makes spilled oil more toxic, with some scientists estimating that the Gulf is the most polluted marine basin in the world.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 14 May 2026
Verb
At the latter, four local farmers show The Athletic water courses polluted with crude oil.
—Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 27 May 2026
Supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party also took the discourse offline this week, dressing up as the insect to clean up India’s notoriously polluted Yamuna River in Delhi, according to news reports.
—Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 22 May 2026
However, the oceans are in trouble and are constantly polluted with plastic, particularly single-use plastic bags, which is a huge problem.
—Kelsey Glennon, Travel + Leisure, 18 May 2026
Testing by the University of Georgia that alerted the industry and state in 2008, when Bost was in her teens, showed the local Conasauga River that supplies the region’s drinking water was polluted.
—Dylan Jackson, ABC News, 6 May 2026
That is exactly what this film cleverly does — pinpoints the insidious nature of far-right movements and the creeping rhetoric that has polluted our society.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 30 Apr. 2026
Water sources are often polluted through run-off from lawns that contain herbicides.
—David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 28 Apr. 2026
As Mexico City has expanded, the Xochimilco water system has shrunk and become increasingly polluted, placing mounting pressure on the axolotl population.
—Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 28 Apr. 2026
There is no remediation if the waters in it are polluted by copper sulfide and nickel mining.
—Mary Murphy, Twin Cities, 17 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for polluted
Adjective
-
The bodies of six of nine missing people have been recovered from the site of a chemical tank implosion and rupture in Washington state, officials said Thursday, and efforts were being made to dilute contaminated water.—
Phil Helsel,
NBC news,
29 May 2026
-
Health experts warn that exposure to contaminated water can cause symptoms including vomiting, diarrhea and infections.—
Monique John,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
The growth of extremes, if unchecked, could lead to the kind of politics that disastrously poisoned the 1930s.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
-
Little does Linda realize that Bradley has poisoned the meal with deadly berries.—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 May 2026
Verb
-
After today, his legacy and his political future will forever be tainted and spoiled.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
19 May 2026
-
The review also found Sneed’s testimony was tainted by detectives’ tactics during questioning.—
Karina Tsui,
CNN Money,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
To clean the rubber gasket and door seal, dampen a clean cloth with diluted vinegar and wipe the seal thoroughly.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
27 May 2026
-
For Deya Xu, associate professor of media studies at East China Normal University in Shanghai, Givenchy’s breakfast controversy reflects larger issues facing luxury brands in China today, namely diluted brand equity and consumption segmentation.—
Denni Hu,
Footwear News,
25 May 2026
Adjective
-
But dwarf galaxies are smaller and colder, with more dilute and slower-moving matter.—
Paul M. Sutter,
Scientific American,
6 May 2026
-
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
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 explosion came on the eve of New Glenn's fourth launch from Cape Canaveral following a mission in April that ended with mixed results.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
-
Johnson County Parks and Recreation is hosting the inaugural KC Unity Cup, a 7v7 adult mixed gender soccer tournament on June 6 and 7.—
Emily Harter,
Kansas City Star,
29 May 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 1 Jun. 2026.
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