contaminate

verb

con·​tam·​i·​nate kən-ˈta-mə-ˌnāt 

contaminated; contaminating

transitive verb

1

a

: to soil, stain, corrupt, or infect by contact or association

Bacteria contaminated the wound.

b

: to make inferior or impure by admixture

iron contaminated with phosphorus

2

: to make unfit for use by the introduction of unwholesome or undesirable elements

water contaminated by sewage

contaminative

kən-ˈta-mə-ˌnā-tiv 

adjective

contaminator

kən-ˈta-mə-ˌnā-tər 

noun

Did you know?

Contaminate, taint, pollute, and defile mean to make impure or unclean. Contaminate implies intrusion of or contact with dirt or foulness from an outside source (logically enough, it derives from the Latin word tangere, meaning "to touch"). Taint stresses a loss of purity or cleanliness that follows contact ("tainted meat"). Pollute, sometimes interchangeable with contaminate, may imply that the process which begins with contamination is complete and that what was pure or clean has been made foul, poisoned, or filthy ("the polluted waters of the river"). Defile implies befouling of what could or should have been kept clean and pure or held sacred, and commonly suggests violation or desecration ("vandals defiled the mausoleum").

Synonyms

• befoul
• defile
• foul
• poison
• pollute
• taint

Choose the Right Synonym for contaminate

contaminate, taint, pollute, defile mean to make impure or unclean.

contaminate implies intrusion of or contact with dirt or foulness from an outside source.

water contaminated by industrial wastes

taint stresses the loss of purity or cleanliness that follows contamination.

tainted meat

a politician's tainted reputation

pollute, sometimes interchangeable with contaminate, distinctively may imply that the process which begins with contamination is complete and that what was pure or clean has been made foul, poisoned, or filthy.

the polluted waters of the river

defile implies befouling of what could or should have been kept clean and pure or held sacred and commonly suggests violation or desecration.

defile a hero's memory with slanderous innuendo

Examples of contaminate in a Sentence

Be careful not to allow bacteria to contaminate the wound.

Don't touch the microchip or the oil on your hands will contaminate it.

Make sure the white paint is not contaminated by any of the other colors.

Recent Examples on the Web

The auto industry's struggles over these years led to high crime, municipal financial emergencies, and, as if things couldn't get worse, lead contaminated the city's water. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024

Heavy metal contamination: In addition to mercury, sardines may be contaminated by other heavy metals, such as cadmium and lead. —Lana Barhum, Verywell Health, 31 Oct. 2024

Also, amines are potential carcinogenic agents and can contaminate air, soil, and water, so plants need to figure in an attendant expense to manage environmental risks. —Erik Kobayashi-Solomon, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024

As a result, each year these dumpsites contaminate some 4,000 miles of rivers, compromising the drinking water of nearly three million Americans. —Jared Sullivan, TIME, 30 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English contaminaten, borrowed from Latin contāminātus, past participle of contāmināre "to defile, pollute," from con- con- + -tāmināre, verbal derivative of *tāmen "touching, contact," going back to *tāg-(s)men, from tag-, variant stem of tangere "to touch" + *-(s)men, noun suffix of result — more at tangent entry 2

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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Kids Definition

contaminate

verb

con·​tam·​i·​nate kən-ˈtam-ə-ˌnāt 

contaminated; contaminating

1

: to soil, stain, or infect by contact or association

2

: to make impure or unfit for use by adding something harmful or unpleasant

wells contaminated by chemicals

contamination

-ˌtam-ə-ˈnā-shən

noun

contaminator

-ˈtam-ə-ˌnāt-ər 

noun

Medical Definition

contaminate

transitive verb

con·​tam·​i·​nate kən-ˈtam-ə-ˌnāt 

contaminated; contaminating

1

: to soil, stain, or infect by contact or association

bacteria contaminated the wound

2

: to make unfit for use by the introduction of unwholesome or undesirable elements

water contaminated by sewage

contaminative

-ˌnāt-iv 

adjective

contaminator

-ˌnāt-ər 

noun