as in polluted
containing foreign or lower-grade substances
the outbreak of food poisoning was traced to adulterated ground beef
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in diluted
to alter (something) for the worse with the addition of foreign or lower-grade substances
the company was fined for adulterating its "all beef" frankfurters with cereal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of adulterated
chicagotribune.com, 9 Dec. 2021
Navarro and Rhein pleaded guilty to their roles in the distribution of adulterated and misbranded drugs.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2021
Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 4 Mar. 2026
Fruits, leafy greens and other produce can become adulterated with listeria through fecal contamination, which can occur through wastewater, water in the growing area, fertilizer and the proximity of said growing area to livestock, USA TODAY previously reported.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adulterated
Adjective
Brasch, 61, of Skokie, is specifically charged with receipt in interstate commerce and delivery of an adulterated device, the release said.
—chicagotribune.com, 9 Dec. 2021
Navarro and Rhein pleaded guilty to their roles in the distribution of adulterated and misbranded drugs.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2021
Verb
Naloxone, the active drug in Narcan, is only effective on opioids and not on stimulants like cocaine, which would suggest the substance Dick used was adulterated with an opiate such as fentanyl.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 4 Mar. 2026
Fruits, leafy greens and other produce can become adulterated with listeria through fecal contamination, which can occur through wastewater, water in the growing area, fertilizer and the proximity of said growing area to livestock, USA TODAY previously reported.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adulterated
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adulterated
Adjective
-
Though McCoy’s plot is often murkier than the polluted lake around which its events unfold, her voice, highly attuned to sensory experience, shines through.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
If canaries in coal mines were harbingers of safe conditions, surely piping plovers at Waukegan Beach mean the city is overcoming its polluted past.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Communities across Florida, especially Black and brown voters, LGBTQ Floridians, and young people, will see their voices diluted.—
Jon Harris Maurer,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 May 2026
-
When those districts still diluted Black voting strength, activists returned to court.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 May 2026
Adjective
-
People can get sick after breathing in contaminated particles that get stirred into the air, especially while cleaning or spending time in places where rodents have been active, like sheds, garages, barns, cabins and storage areas.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 May 2026
-
Both options are naturally gluten-free, but oats are more likely to be cross-contaminated with gluten.—
Mira Miller,
Verywell Health,
4 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
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While Liang seeks to distance the company from the tainted elements, Supermicro’s longer-term fate may hinge on whether Nvidia stays close or decides to keep its distance.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
6 Apr. 2026
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The case has it all — backroom deals, bribes, tainted legislation, dark money contributions — even the suicide of a prominent official at the center of the scandal.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The landlord of another large Williamsburg office, the former Vice Media headquarters on Kent Avenue, is reportedly in the process of converting the site for mixed-use development to construct residential towers there.—
Kim Velsey,
Curbed,
1 May 2026
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The mixed outcomes of these AI initiatives reflect a new approach to government technology and contracting, said Government Operations Secretary Nick Maduros.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
1 May 2026
Adjective
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To fund its operations, HISA charged tracks using a formula that blended racing starts with purse sizes—meaning high-purse tracks like Churchill Downs paid disproportionately more.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
2 May 2026
-
Hawn and fellow actor Kurt Russell, 75, her romantic partner of 43 years, have a large blended family of four children — actors Oliver Hudson, 49, Kate Hudson, 47, and Wyatt Russell, 39, as well as psychotherapist Boston Russell, 46 — and eight grandchildren, who range in age from 2 to 22.—
Eric Andersson,
PEOPLE,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adulterated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adulterated. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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