1
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
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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of adulterate
Tony Sachs, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025
The policy represents a major shift in the U.S. after years of successful lobbying by the pharmaceutical industry, which said imports would expose U.S. patients to risks of counterfeit or adulterated drugs.
—Matthew Perrone, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Jan. 2024
Or: If Amendment 3 passes, street dealers hoping to cultivate addiction by adulterating pot with some of the world’s most dangerous opioids would see a downturn in profits.
—Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 1 Nov. 2024
Check best-by dates Boar's Head Provisions Co., Inc. recalled all liverwurst product produced by the establishment that is currently available in commerce because it may be adulterated with Listeria monocytogenes.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American-Statesman, 29 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for adulterate
Verb
Of course, a lot of us have the natural instinct to drink cask strength whiskey neat, as if adding water is needlessly adulterating the spirit, or worse yet, a sign of wimpiness.
—Tony Sachs, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025
The policy represents a major shift in the U.S. after years of successful lobbying by the pharmaceutical industry, which said imports would expose U.S. patients to risks of counterfeit or adulterated drugs.
—Matthew Perrone, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Jan. 2024
Or: If Amendment 3 passes, street dealers hoping to cultivate addiction by adulterating pot with some of the world’s most dangerous opioids would see a downturn in profits.
—Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 1 Nov. 2024
Check best-by dates Boar's Head Provisions Co., Inc. recalled all liverwurst product produced by the establishment that is currently available in commerce because it may be adulterated with Listeria monocytogenes.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American-Statesman, 29 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
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But with a twist so big — Sarah being the killer of her adulterous husband Adam’s mistress, Kelly Summers, and the one who set him up for the murder while simultaneously defending him tooth and nail in court — where was Rose to go after that?—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
29 Apr. 2025
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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
Verb
-
In recent weeks, the flaws in the technology have crossed over into absurd territory: For example, by generating a summer reading list of fake books and legal documents polluted with serious errors and fabrications.—
Ryan Faughnder,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2025
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The Hazel Johnson ordinance grew out of a 2020 federal civil rights complaint filed by the Southeast Environmental Task Force and other groups challenging the city’s concentration of polluting industries in certain neighborhoods.—
Brian J. Rogal,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2025
Adjective
-
The emails also suggested the engineer responsible for executing the replacement was having an extramarital affair.—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
24 May 2025
-
Perhaps there is an extramarital affair that could be utilized, or maybe there is some evidence of tax evasion or illicit browsing habits.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
24 May 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
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From the first day on campus, students are assigned a compatible medical school advisor to navigate coursework, research opportunities and extracurricular activities.—
Kristen Moon,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2025
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The program has had several extracurricular activities, including the ROTC Ball at the Ramona High campus in April, a No-Talent Talent Show, Halloween party and family Christmas party.—
Julie Gallant,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 May 2025
Adjective
-
Net income for the three months ended May 3 rose to $193 million, or diluted earnings per share of 51 cents, up from $158 million, or 42 cents, a year earlier.—
David Moin,
Footwear News,
29 May 2025
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Swishing with diluted apple cider vinegar, baking soda and water, or lemon juice may help eliminate unpleasant tastes.—
Fran Kritz,
Verywell Health,
28 May 2025
Adjective
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Consumption of contaminated food can cause salmonellosis, the most common symptoms of which are diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours after consumption.—
Meghan Overdeep,
Southern Living,
22 May 2025
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Most people infected with salmonella start developing symptoms 12 to 72 hours after eating the contaminated product.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
21 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Adulterate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adulterate. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.
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