1
as in dilute
containing foreign or lower-grade substances
the pharmacist was convicted of selling adulterate drugs in order to maximize profits
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of adulterate
Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 13 June 2024
Additionally, some products might be adulterated or tainted with prescription-drug ingredients.15
14.
—Trang Tran, Pharmd, Verywell Health, 18 Oct. 2024
Prosecutors said 75% of the fentanyl given to patients at the clinic from June to October 2020 was adulterated by saline.
—Dave Collins, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2024
The practice of adulterating honey is well known, and historically adulterants such as ash and potato flour have been used.
—Daniel Matthews, Fortune Europe, 5 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for adulterate
Verb
Hanson was initially charged on April 26 with only one count of adulterating or contaminating food, which under Kansas law is a criminal threat.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 13 June 2024
Additionally, some products might be adulterated or tainted with prescription-drug ingredients.15
14.
—Trang Tran, Pharmd, Verywell Health, 18 Oct. 2024
Prosecutors said 75% of the fentanyl given to patients at the clinic from June to October 2020 was adulterated by saline.
—Dave Collins, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2024
The practice of adulterating honey is well known, and historically adulterants such as ash and potato flour have been used.
—Daniel Matthews, Fortune Europe, 5 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for adulterate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adulterate
Adjective
-
Vinegar, which is really dilute acetic acid, will help the milk curdle by further denaturing the whey proteins and neutralizing negative charges at the surface of casein micelles.—
Liz Roth-Johnson,
Discover Magazine,
12 Feb. 2013
-
However toxic a substance may be, the amount of exposure received by the general population is very dilute.—
George Johnson,
Discover Magazine,
8 July 2013
Adjective
-
Nor did anyone blink when Shonda Rhimes set Scandal within the White House of a wishy-washy, adulterous GOP President who’d unwittingly stolen an election.—
Judy Berman,
TIME,
20 Feb. 2025
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The new version strips down the book’s narrative, concentrating on the plight of an adulterous airline pilot (Cage) who’s forced to land a plane after all the good Christians are called up to heaven.—
Emily Heller,
Vulture,
12 July 2024
Verb
-
The legislation came in response to a 2023 scientific report that warned existing programs to curb urban and farm runoff polluting the Bay and its rivers were falling short.—
Timothy Wheeler,
Baltimore Sun,
17 Mar. 2025
-
The second Trump administration is again promoting polluting power sources while pulling back support for renewable energy development.—
Mike Shriberg,
The Conversation,
10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
In 2009, Woods fell from grace after numerous extramarital affairs came to light.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
12 Mar. 2025
-
Jack Lemmon plays Bud, a white-collar drone who lends out his apartment to his bosses for their extramarital affairs.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The company in 2020 pleaded guilty to distributing adulterated ice-cream products and agreed to pay a fine over the outbreak.—
Dylan Tokar,
WSJ,
2 Feb. 2023
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And while most of those overdoses involved the illicit synthetic opioid fentanyl, experts say that an adulterated and contaminated drug supply is also leading to deaths.—
Nadia Kounang,
CNN,
17 Mar. 2022
Adjective
-
Select an Activity That’s a Good Fit for Your Child Dr. Kaiser says the point of participating in extracurricular activities at a young age is to accrue experience with a diverse range of activities.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
7 Mar. 2025
-
Early preparation and long-term strategic focus allow students to discover and articulate their core passions, engage deeply in meaningful extracurricular activities, and develop the academic foundation needed to excel in the admissions process and at a top college.—
Christopher Rim,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Earnings per diluted share increased to $1.36 from $1.24.—
Quartz Intelligence Newsroom,
Quartz,
14 Mar. 2025
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Net income for the fourth quarter jumped to $104.3 million, or 54 cents a diluted share, from $6.3 million, or 3 cents, a year earlier, when $131 million impairment and restructuring charges dragged down results.—
Evan Clark,
WWD,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
So far, 96 of those samples were negative by polymerase chain reaction testing, or PCR, which detects live virus as well as inactive viral particles, indicating that those cheeses probably weren’t made with contaminated milk.—
Brenda Goodman,
CNN,
14 Mar. 2025
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Once notified of the problem, the three local governments reacted by curtailing use of their contaminated wells and relying more on uncontaminated wells.—
Kevin Spear,
Orlando Sentinel,
28 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Adulterate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adulterate. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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