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
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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
-
It's considered one of the most polluted zip codes in America.—
Chierstin Roth,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
-
The scam driving the narrative is a live one, featuring the Gowanus Canal, then New York City’s most polluted body of water and ripe for development, a few dozen blocks north of Little Odessa.—
Guy Martin,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Human oversight was diluted due to a belief that the AI agent was working perfectly.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
-
In rare cases of very low sodium intake or excessive fluid loss, people can develop hyponatremia, Young explains, a condition in which sodium levels in the blood become dangerously diluted.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
16 May 2026
Adjective
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Per Mayo Clinic, Salmonella is a bacterial disease that affects the intestinal tract and typically infects people through contaminated water or food.—
Chiara Kim,
PEOPLE,
7 May 2026
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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
Adjective
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But dwarf galaxies are smaller and colder, with more dilute and slower-moving matter.—
Paul M. Sutter,
Scientific American,
6 May 2026
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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 recycling center would take household materials like electronics, textiles, shoes, food scraps, mixed paper, cardboard, plastics, metal cans, and glass.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
22 May 2026
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Announcing its hardcore aspirations with a moody steel-blue palette that suffuses the rural setting with dread, the film takes place almost entirely on a remote cow farm, the home of a mixed-race family of three.—
Beatrice Loayza,
Variety,
22 May 2026
Adjective
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Smashburger takes a blended approach.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Kansas City Star,
18 May 2026
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Kate Hudson celebrated her son Ryder Robinson, who also graduated from New York University, alongside members of their blended family.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adulterated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adulterated. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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