as in contaminated
containing foreign or lower-grade substances
called in to clean up the polluted stream
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
The port planned to use it to clean up and remediate polluted areas, build facilities for handling the turbine parts, dredge the waterway and build a larger wharf capable of handling pieces of steel longer than a football field.
—Lauren Sommer, NPR, 31 Aug. 2025
Cities and towns can remove arsenic from groundwater, but some rural communities and isolated homes can’t afford those options, leaving residents to consume polluted water or haul it in from elsewhere.
—Austin Corona, AZCentral.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Autistic people are disproportionately vulnerable to chronic health conditions such as dysautonomia, gastric and/or allergy disorders, which would benefit from a less polluted, cleaner food chain.
—Nancy Doyle, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Other risk factors include exposure to secondhand smoke, polluted air or other environmental workplace hazards.
—Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management has published a new way for residents to keep track of restoration progress for one of Lake Michigan’s most polluted waterways.
—Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 26 Aug. 2025
The Valley is one of America’s most polluted air basins.
—Tad Weber, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025
Several environmental groups have notified the Water and Wastewater Authority of Wilson County and Adenus Operations of an intent to file a lawsuit alleging that a failing sewage system is sending polluted wastewater into neighborhood yards and Old Hickory Lake.
—Andy Humbles, The Tennessean, 13 Aug. 2025
Laura Schulte, jsonline.com, 4 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
Hurricanes are rapidly intensifying more frequently as the oceans and atmosphere warm in a world polluted by fossil fuels.
—Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2025
Our species has polluted the planet, so that grey clouds of smoke invade many urban landscapes.
—Bandamlak Y. Jemberie, Variety, 11 Aug. 2025
Though some water comes from small desalination units run by aid agencies, most is drawn from wells in a brackish aquifer that has been further polluted by sewage and chemicals seeping through the rubble, spreading diarrhoea and hepatitis.
—USA Today, 6 Aug. 2025
Flaring looked unsightly, polluted the air and wasted a natural resource that could be sold.
—Jacob Orledge, ProPublica, 4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Another, paradoxical, factor that could be contributing to this rise is our steadily less polluted atmosphere.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
The port planned to use it to clean up and remediate polluted areas, build facilities for handling the turbine parts, dredge the waterway and build a larger wharf capable of handling pieces of steel longer than a football field.
—Lauren Sommer, NPR, 31 Aug. 2025
Cities and towns can remove arsenic from groundwater, but some rural communities and isolated homes can’t afford those options, leaving residents to consume polluted water or haul it in from elsewhere.
—Austin Corona, AZCentral.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Autistic people are disproportionately vulnerable to chronic health conditions such as dysautonomia, gastric and/or allergy disorders, which would benefit from a less polluted, cleaner food chain.
—Nancy Doyle, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Other risk factors include exposure to secondhand smoke, polluted air or other environmental workplace hazards.
—Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management has published a new way for residents to keep track of restoration progress for one of Lake Michigan’s most polluted waterways.
—Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 26 Aug. 2025
The Valley is one of America’s most polluted air basins.
—Tad Weber, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025
Several environmental groups have notified the Water and Wastewater Authority of Wilson County and Adenus Operations of an intent to file a lawsuit alleging that a failing sewage system is sending polluted wastewater into neighborhood yards and Old Hickory Lake.
—Andy Humbles, The Tennessean, 13 Aug. 2025
Verb
Other public speakers, like Tabitha Fader, said the reroute would cause irreparable harm if wetlands and rivers were polluted during pipeline construction or in the event of a spill.
—Laura Schulte, jsonline.com, 4 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
Hurricanes are rapidly intensifying more frequently as the oceans and atmosphere warm in a world polluted by fossil fuels.
—Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2025
Our species has polluted the planet, so that grey clouds of smoke invade many urban landscapes.
—Bandamlak Y. Jemberie, Variety, 11 Aug. 2025
Though some water comes from small desalination units run by aid agencies, most is drawn from wells in a brackish aquifer that has been further polluted by sewage and chemicals seeping through the rubble, spreading diarrhoea and hepatitis.
—USA Today, 6 Aug. 2025
Flaring looked unsightly, polluted the air and wasted a natural resource that could be sold.
—Jacob Orledge, ProPublica, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for polluted
Adjective
-
In communities without clean water, families often burn wood to boil contaminated water, contributing to both deforestation and emissions.—
Sivan Yaari,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
The Great Lakes Legacy Act — which aims to address areas of concern in the basin where longtime industrial contamination has caused environmental degradation — has funded 34 remediation projects across the region since 2004, removing or capping almost 7 million cubic yards of contaminated sediment.—
Adriana Pérez,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Abusers and traffickers are exploiting this lack of oversight—leaving women coerced, deceived, and sometimes poisoned.—
Christa Brown,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Sep. 2025
-
This cover-up is the dark secret that poisoned the family for years.—
Isabella Wandermurem,
Time,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Conversely, the painful final months of a relationship can overshadow years of warmth, making the entire story feel tainted.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
-
The decision came in response to challenges from criminal defense attorneys, who argued their clients’ prosecutions were tainted because Habba was kept in place despite not previously serving as the first assistant to the office.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Moisture absorbed from the air returns as diluted desiccant to storage.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Your Way Dry Wash or a diluted shampoo, followed by a blow-dry to prevent mildew.—
Larry Stansbury,
Essence,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
For example, Wilson’s team is exploring whether dilute acids speed up weathering.—
Robert F. Service,
Science | AAAS,
3 Sep. 2020
-
The company reported a net loss during the first quarter of $3.9 million, or 11 cents diluted loss per share, compared to a net income of $4.3 million, or 12 cents dilute earnings per share over the same period last year.—
Paul Takahashi,
Houston Chronicle,
5 June 2018
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 Broader Global Picture While Europe dominates the headlines, the global market landscape presents a mixed picture.—
Robert Daugherty,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Reviews were mixed, but that rarely makes a difference for the genre of horror.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
This method combines impure raw silicon with pure aluminum, lowering the melting temperature compared to conventional polysilicon production.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Aug. 2025
-
Water was often impure, too, especially with the war going on.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
10 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Polluted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/polluted. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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