adulteration

noun

adul·​ter·​a·​tion ə-ˌdəl-tə-ˈrā-shən 

1

: the process of adulterating : the condition of being adulterated

2

: an adulterated product

Examples of adulteration in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Beyond confronting the legacy of the Pinochet years, The Clinic critiqued subsequent administrations of various political stripes and also ran interviews with everyday people, investigations into issues like the adulteration of street drugs, as well as cartoons and joke columns. —Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 27 Mar. 2026

People handling or consuming the products could become seriously ill due to adulteration from pests, including rodents, birds and insects, the company said. —Cheryl V. Jackson, IndyStar, 29 Jan. 2026

Signs of contamination include bugs, improper food storage temperatures and adulteration. —Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 27 Jan. 2026

Recent years, for example, have seen a major increase in adulteration with the horse tranquilizer xylazine, which knocks users out but doesn’t satisfy the opioid craving. —Charles Fain Lehman, The Atlantic, 20 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French adulteracion, borrowed from Latin adulterātiōn-, adulterātiō, from adulterāre "to adulterate entry 1" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns

First Known Use

1503, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for adulteration

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• affiliation

Medical Definition

adulteration

noun

adul·​ter·​a·​tion ə-ˌdəl-tə-ˈrā-shən 

1

: the process of adulterating : the condition of being adulterated

2

: an adulterated product