as in contamination
something that is or that makes impure
concerned about adulterants in the town's water supply coming from the discharge from the factory
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Recent Examples of adulterant
Like many bath salts, NEP was often sold as Ecstasy or added to other drugs as an adulterant.
—
Jonathan Corum, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Plenty of coffee drinkers enjoy medium or dark roasts, which tend to pair well with milk and other adulterants.
—Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2025
Other adulterants also pose potential risks, especially when consumed unknowingly.
—Benjamin Adams, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Some products have been found to have contaminants such as heavy metals, bacteria, or chemicals or adulterants not listed on the label.
—Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 21 July 2025
In recent years, illicit drugs in the US have been cut with some high-profile and dangerous adulterants, such as the powerful veterinary sedative xylazine (aka tranq) and the yet more powerful veterinary sedative medetomidine.
—ArsTechnica, 10 July 2025
Soon, Wiley was releasing regular bulletins on food adulterants and advocating for national laws.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 1 May 2025
Those tests have turned up a new adulterant: an industrial chemical known as BTMPS that is used in making plastics.
—Kate Kilpatrick, The Conversation, 17 Mar. 2025
Jonathan Corum, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Plenty of coffee drinkers enjoy medium or dark roasts, which tend to pair well with milk and other adulterants.
—Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2025
Other adulterants also pose potential risks, especially when consumed unknowingly.
—Benjamin Adams, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Some products have been found to have contaminants such as heavy metals, bacteria, or chemicals or adulterants not listed on the label.
—Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 21 July 2025
In recent years, illicit drugs in the US have been cut with some high-profile and dangerous adulterants, such as the powerful veterinary sedative xylazine (aka tranq) and the yet more powerful veterinary sedative medetomidine.
—ArsTechnica, 10 July 2025
Soon, Wiley was releasing regular bulletins on food adulterants and advocating for national laws.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 1 May 2025
Those tests have turned up a new adulterant: an industrial chemical known as BTMPS that is used in making plastics.
—Kate Kilpatrick, The Conversation, 17 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adulterant
Noun
-
Neighbors were still without water in one Mountain View neighborhood on Sunday after a mistake at a construction site on Friday caused possible contamination, and neighbors are waiting for tests to reveal whether the water is safe for use.—
John Ramos,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Around 5,000 thyroid cancers have been linked to iodine contamination of milk supplies by the accident, 15 of them fatal.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
If the contaminants can spread, the soil goes to a site in Emelle, Alabama, as hazardous waste.—
Taylor O'Connor,
Kansas City Star,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Even in small amounts, these contaminants are enough to hobble normal processes.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Health dangers of pollution Ozone and particle pollution are considered two of the most widespread and dangerous pollutants measured by the US Environmental Protection Agency.—
Jen Christensen,
CNN Money,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Trees and plants sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, filter pollutants from the air and reduce urban temperatures through shade, according to The Nature Conservancy.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adulterant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adulterant. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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