ADULTERATE Synonyms: 144 Similar and Opposite Words

adulterate 1 of 2

adjective

ə-ˈdəl-t(ə-)rət

Definition of adulterate

as in dilute

containing foreign or lower-grade substances the pharmacist was convicted of selling adulterate drugs in order to maximize profits

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in adulterous

relating to or being a sexual encounter or relationship between a married person and someone other than their spouse caught red-handed in what he claimed was his first adulterate encounter

Synonyms & Similar Words

adulterate

2 of 2

verb

ə-ˈdəl-tə-ˌrāt

as in to dilute

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 show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of adulterate

Verb

Some olive oils are adulterated, which means other substances may be added to them to lower the quality—and often manufacturing costs—while increasing the amount in the bottle. — Sohaib Imtiaz, Verywell Health, 27 Apr. 2026 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 Instead, dealers usually adulterate their drugs, combining fentanyl with inert powders such as sugar and baby powder, or mixing in other drugs to stretch the active ingredient. — Charles Fain Lehman, The Atlantic, 20 Jan. 2026 This comes after Martin pled guilty to willfully poisoning or adulterating food, water or medicine, which is a felony offense in Nevada. — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 17 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for adulterate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for adulterate

Adjective

Finally, the third recruits seaweed to gather minerals that are otherwise too dilute to chase.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 27 July 2026
Clean and disinfect your pruning shears between working on each plant by dipping them into a dilute 10% solution of chlorine bleach water or rubbing alcohol.

— Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 4 July 2026

Definition of dilute

Adjective

With all respect to West’s previous cheating-on-television canon, War might be his finest adulterous work.

— Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 24 Oct. 2026
All the while, though, Dylan was also getting a taste of what was becoming Swinging London, thanks to the play’s director, Philip Saville, and Saville’s adulterous lover, a gorgeous and brilliant painter named Pauline Boty.

— Sean Wilentz, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of adulterous

Verb

When those waters are polluted, the damage is not confined to a technical measurement in a permit or a line on a monitoring report.

— Dana Adkins, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
Norway rats can transmit diseases to humans and other animals, damage property, and pollute food.

— Blythe Copeland, Martha Stewart, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of pollute

Adjective

Wildfires in Indonesia are also the source of widespread haze that’s blanketing much of the region and making Southeast Asian cities such as Singapore and Kuala Lumpur among the world’s most polluted.

— Jay Ganglani, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
And everybody, ranging from workers in forced labor, to communities next to a polluted lake, to the companies that are less prepared to operate in a volatile and uncertain world, are paying the bill.

— Ben Vanpeperstraete, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of polluted

Adjective

At work, Satoko attempts to create a campaign for a new Korean baseball drama that her company is releasing, but after hours she is involved in an extramarital affair with a business associate, Muramoto (Joe Odagiri).

— James Marsh, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
The film doesn’t shy away from exposing the dark volatility of their on-again, off-again relationship, which began with their extramarital affair during filming of the epic Cleopatra (1963).

— Sezin Devi Koehler, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of extramarital

Adjective

The six core areas that are typically reviewed by courts are student assignment, faculty assignment, staff assignment, transportation, facilities and extracurricular activities, though other areas can also be considered.

— Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Congratulations to the happy couple for both their extracurricular activity on the set and for extending hope for others.

— Sean Joseph OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of extracurricular

Adjective

In the spring, the Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act, a landmark civil rights law, making way for Republican states to redraw their congressional maps and igniting fears of diluted Black representation.

— New York Times, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Use a dry microfiber cloth for routine cleaning, and diluted dish soap or white vinegar to remove more stubborn, sticky film.

— Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of diluted

Browse Nearby Words

adulterants

adulterate

adulterated

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Style

“Adulterate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adulterate. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of adulterate

adjective

verb

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