contaminate

verb

con·tam·i·nate kən-ˈta-mə-ˌnāt How to pronounce contaminate (audio)

contaminated; contaminating

transitive verb

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

Bacteria contaminated the wound.

: to make inferior or impure by admixture

iron contaminated with phosphorus

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

water contaminated by sewage

contaminative

kən-ˈta-mə-ˌnā-tiv How to pronounce contaminate (audio)

adjective

contaminator

kən-ˈta-mə-ˌnā-tər How to pronounce contaminate (audio)

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").

Example Sentences

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 other was that ashy sludge could contaminate the water itself.

Ella Nilsen, CNN, 3 Sep. 2022 For months, residents on the doorstep of the site have voicedconcerns that the plant could contaminate well water, produce light pollution, and disturb wildlife.

Drew Kann, ajc, 18 Aug. 2022 Adding to the challenge faced by Talon — and mine developers across America — are concerns from tribal communities that the projects will contaminate pristine lands.

Evan Halper, Washington Post, 11 Aug. 2022 Water pollution occurs when harmful substances such as chemicals or microorganisms contaminate a stream, river, lake, ocean, aquifer or any other body of water, degrading its quality and rendering it toxic to humans and the environment.

Quartz, 19 July 2022 Many are already winding up in landfills, where components that contain toxic heavy metals such as selenium and cadmium can contaminate groundwater.

Rachel Kisela, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2022 It has been opposed by environmentalists and tribes, particularly the Havasupai Tribe, some of whose members live in a side canyon of the Grand Canyon and have long feared that mining would contaminate their sole source of water.

Debra Utacia Krol, The Arizona Republic, 28 Apr. 2022 These items can cause jams in the balers and contaminate whole batches of plastic.

Kristin Hostetter, Outside Online, 14 Mar. 2022 Some fear the factory will contaminate the groundwater.

New York Times, 14 Mar. 2022 See More

contaminate

verb

as in to pollute

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

pollute
poison
taint
infect
defile
befoul
soil
sully
dirty
dilute
foul
smudge
stain
adulterate
besmirch
rot
grime
muddy
corrupt
mire
blacken
spoil
water down
smirch
foul up
begrime
doctor

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

purify
clean
cleanse
decontaminate
purge
clarify
clear
distill
filter
sterilize
disinfect
distil
sanitize

Synonym Chooser

Some common synonyms of contaminate are defile, pollute, and taint. While all these words 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

Although the words defile and contaminate have much in common, 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

The synonyms pollute and contaminate are sometimes interchangeable, but 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

The words taint and contaminate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, taint stresses the loss of purity or cleanliness that follows contamination.

tainted meat

a politician's tainted reputation

单词	contaminate
释义	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 See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences 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 other was that ashy sludge could contaminate the water itself. Ella Nilsen, CNN, 3 Sep. 2022 For months, residents on the doorstep of the site have voicedconcerns that the plant could contaminate well water, produce light pollution, and disturb wildlife. Drew Kann, ajc, 18 Aug. 2022 Adding to the challenge faced by Talon — and mine developers across America — are concerns from tribal communities that the projects will contaminate pristine lands. Evan Halper, Washington Post, 11 Aug. 2022 Water pollution occurs when harmful substances such as chemicals or microorganisms contaminate a stream, river, lake, ocean, aquifer or any other body of water, degrading its quality and rendering it toxic to humans and the environment. Quartz, 19 July 2022 Many are already winding up in landfills, where components that contain toxic heavy metals such as selenium and cadmium can contaminate groundwater. Rachel Kisela, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2022 It has been opposed by environmentalists and tribes, particularly the Havasupai Tribe, some of whose members live in a side canyon of the Grand Canyon and have long feared that mining would contaminate their sole source of water. Debra Utacia Krol, The Arizona Republic, 28 Apr. 2022 These items can cause jams in the balers and contaminate whole batches of plastic. Kristin Hostetter, Outside Online, 14 Mar. 2022 Some fear the factory will contaminate the groundwater. New York Times, 14 Mar. 2022 See More 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 Kids Definition contaminate verb con·tam·i·nate kən-ˈta-mə-ˌnāt contaminated; contaminating 1 : to soil, stain, or infect by contact or association The wound was contaminated* by bacteria. 2 : to make unfit for use by adding something harmful or unpleasant The water is contaminated with chemicals. 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 contaminate verb as in to pollute 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 Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance pollute poison taint infect defile befoul soil sully dirty dilute foul smudge stain adulterate besmirch rot grime muddy corrupt mire blacken spoil water down smirch foul up begrime doctor Antonyms & Near Antonyms purify clean cleanse decontaminate purge clarify clear distill filter sterilize disinfect distil sanitize See More Synonym Chooser Some common synonyms of contaminate are defile, pollute, and taint. While all these words 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 Although the words defile and contaminate have much in common, 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 The synonyms pollute and contaminate are sometimes interchangeable, but 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 The words taint and contaminate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, taint stresses the loss of purity or cleanliness that follows contamination. tainted meat a politician's tainted reputation
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contaminate

verb

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Kids Definition

verb

Medical Definition

transitive verb

verb

Synonym Chooser