Synonyms of polluting

polluting

verb

present participle of pollute

as in poisoning

to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable

outmoded factories polluting the air

Synonyms & Similar Words

• poisoning
• contaminating
• tainting
• infecting
• defiling
• befouling
• fouling
• dirtying
• staining
• diluting
• soiling
• sullying
• corrupting
• besmirching
• rotting
• blackening
• muddying
• smudging
• adulterating
• spoiling
• miring
• fouling up
• griming
• watering down
• smirching
• begriming
• doctoring

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• cleaning
• purifying
• cleansing
• clearing
• purging
• clarifying
• filtering
• distilling
• decontaminating
• sterilizing
• disinfecting
• sanitizing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of polluting

Thick clouds of coal smoke poured from chimneys and factories, polluting the air. — Wuft News, Miami Herald, 29 July 2026

California and 19 other attorneys generals are suing the Environmental Protection Agency for reversing action on high-polluting refrigerants. — Blanca Begert, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026

Another study, published in Nature, found that Canadian wildfires in 2023, when more than 43 million acres burned, generated more emissions than the burning of fossil fuels in all but the three most-polluting countries. — Joshua Partlow, The Atlantic, 16 July 2026

The solution is to support federal and state legislation that encourages lower-cost, less-polluting renewable energy to speed up the transition away from environmentally damaging fossil fuels. — Chicago Tribune, 29 June 2026

Plastics degrade into microplastics, which in humans have been linked to cancer, reproductive problems, and other health issues, and which are polluting ecosystems from coral reefs to Antarctica. — Veronique Greenwood, Time, 26 June 2026

The California Air Resources Board has said transportation is responsible for about 38% of these emissions, while the next-most-polluting sector, industrial sources, is responsible for 22% of emissions. — Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 25 June 2026

In a highly unusual move, the US Justice Department has urged a federalcourt to throw out a lawsuit against Elon Musk’s company xAI for its use of polluting gas turbines — sparking concerns the government is trying to undermine the ability of individuals or communities to sue polluters. — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 17 June 2026

Perversely, this exemption may encourage companies to switch to highly-polluting diesel engines to avoid idling fines. — Chris Hartmann, New York Daily News, 16 June 2026