as in polluted
containing foreign or lower-grade substances
the hospitals had no choice but to throw out the contaminated blood supply
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in poisoned
to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable
a supply of drinking water that was contaminated by a toxic waste dump
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of contaminated
Yusuke Maekawa, Bloomberg, 8 Mar. 2026
The state Division of Oil and Public Safety fined Sinclair $365,694 for the incident — $1 per gallon of contaminated gasoline.
—Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 6 Mar. 2026
Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2026
All items contaminated with raw meat were discarded, and inspectors informed employees of proper hand washing procedures during inspection.
—Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for contaminated
Adjective
Much of the last decade has been spent trying to stabilize the facility, containing radiation within the reactors and reducing the amount of contaminated water on site.
—Yusuke Maekawa, Bloomberg, 8 Mar. 2026
The state Division of Oil and Public Safety fined Sinclair $365,694 for the incident — $1 per gallon of contaminated gasoline.
—Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 6 Mar. 2026
Verb
For example, milk can be contaminated by manure or environmental filth, infections of the udder such as mastitis or from surfaces during the milking process.
—Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2026
All items contaminated with raw meat were discarded, and inspectors informed employees of proper hand washing procedures during inspection.
—Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for contaminated
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contaminated
Adjective
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State officials issued islandwide brown water advisories for Oahu and Maui after storms sent polluted runoff into coastal waters.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
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The South Asian nation ranked the world’s most polluted country in 2025, according to the report.—
Esha Mitra,
CNN Money,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The new summer blockbuster will follow Supergirl's three-day mission to obtain a cure for her superdog and friend, Krypto, who is poisoned by villainous alien Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts).—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
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That is, until Krypto is poisoned by the henchmen of villain Krem of the Yellow Hills, with only three days to save him.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Spray the area with the diluted vinegar and water mixture, and wipe it clean with a damp cloth to remove any residue.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
30 Mar. 2026
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In total, Microsoft has invested $13 billion in OpenAI and, at the time of the AI company’s restructuring in October, disclosed that its 27% diluted stake in the for-profit part of the organization was valued at $135 billion.—
Lora Kolodny,Ashley Capoot,
CNBC,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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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
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For example, Wilson’s team is exploring whether dilute acids speed up weathering.—
Robert F. Service,
Science | AAAS,
3 Sep. 2020
Adjective
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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
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Those officers are no longer allowed to testify in criminal court cases because of their tainted reputation.—
Dave Savini,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contaminated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contaminated. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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