as in contaminated
containing foreign or lower-grade substances
called in to clean up the polluted stream
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in poisoned
to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable
outmoded factories polluting the air
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of polluted
Abraham Nunbogu, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026
As Mexico City has expanded over time, the Xochimilco lake system has gradually shrunk and become more polluted in certain areas, which has led to a steep decline in their population.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 28 Apr. 2026
As Mexico City has expanded, Xochimilco’s waters have shrunk and become more polluted, reducing suitable habitat for the species.
—Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Apr. 2026
As of April 2025, the department still had a backlog of 120 permit applications from Maryland facilities that release polluted wastewater into the environment.
—Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 24 Apr. 2026
Forty-four percent of Americans breathe dangerously polluted air.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Though none of South Florida's cities are among the 25 most polluted, air quality has decreased slightly in some areas.
—Samantha Neely, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
Which of California’s cities and counties were the most polluted?
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 23 Apr. 2026
The South Asian nation ranked the world’s most polluted country in 2025, according to the report.
—Esha Mitra, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2026
Alex Ritman, Variety, 30 Apr. 2026
Water sources are often polluted through run-off from lawns that contain herbicides.
—David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 28 Apr. 2026
As Mexico City has expanded, the Xochimilco water system has shrunk and become increasingly polluted, placing mounting pressure on the axolotl population.
—Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 28 Apr. 2026
There is no remediation if the waters in it are polluted by copper sulfide and nickel mining.
—Mary Murphy, Twin Cities, 17 Apr. 2026
The heavy elements produced in the violent death of one first generation star swiftly polluted a primordial cloud of molecular hydrogen and helium that subsequently collapsed to form SDSS J0715-7334.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 16 Apr. 2026
The river has been polluted by pesticide and fertilizer runoff for years, and the mining water adds another burden, Deehan said.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
Many of those natural springs have either stopped flowing, been cut off by development or been polluted.
—Ryan Brennan
april 9, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
In the Monsanto lawsuit, it is alleged that the company polluted Lake Michigan with PCBs, according to documents.
—Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
But many of the communities where those minerals are mined end up with polluted water and poorer health because of the mining.
—Abraham Nunbogu, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026
As Mexico City has expanded over time, the Xochimilco lake system has gradually shrunk and become more polluted in certain areas, which has led to a steep decline in their population.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 28 Apr. 2026
As Mexico City has expanded, Xochimilco’s waters have shrunk and become more polluted, reducing suitable habitat for the species.
—Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Apr. 2026
As of April 2025, the department still had a backlog of 120 permit applications from Maryland facilities that release polluted wastewater into the environment.
—Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 24 Apr. 2026
Forty-four percent of Americans breathe dangerously polluted air.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Though none of South Florida's cities are among the 25 most polluted, air quality has decreased slightly in some areas.
—Samantha Neely, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
Which of California’s cities and counties were the most polluted?
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 23 Apr. 2026
The South Asian nation ranked the world’s most polluted country in 2025, according to the report.
—Esha Mitra, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2026
Verb
That is exactly what this film cleverly does — pinpoints the insidious nature of far-right movements and the creeping rhetoric that has polluted our society.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 30 Apr. 2026
Water sources are often polluted through run-off from lawns that contain herbicides.
—David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 28 Apr. 2026
As Mexico City has expanded, the Xochimilco water system has shrunk and become increasingly polluted, placing mounting pressure on the axolotl population.
—Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 28 Apr. 2026
There is no remediation if the waters in it are polluted by copper sulfide and nickel mining.
—Mary Murphy, Twin Cities, 17 Apr. 2026
The heavy elements produced in the violent death of one first generation star swiftly polluted a primordial cloud of molecular hydrogen and helium that subsequently collapsed to form SDSS J0715-7334.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 16 Apr. 2026
The river has been polluted by pesticide and fertilizer runoff for years, and the mining water adds another burden, Deehan said.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
Many of those natural springs have either stopped flowing, been cut off by development or been polluted.
—Ryan Brennan
april 9, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
In the Monsanto lawsuit, it is alleged that the company polluted Lake Michigan with PCBs, according to documents.
—Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for polluted
Adjective
-
These risks are linked to prolonged contact with contaminated water, compounded by limited access to sanitation and healthcare.—
Abraham Nunbogu,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Another method involves covering contaminated areas with clean soil, clay or concrete.—
Eduardo B. Farfán,
The Conversation,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Who cares about the fact that her friend cheated when her child was poisoned by her husband and her father?—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Weinstein’s lawyers have argued that his New York conviction last year was poisoned by bad blood among jurors.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Court exhibit But that, too, Casteleiro argued, was tainted.—
Mary Murphy,
CBS News,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The airline has been one of the most successful startups in aviation history, but its rapid growth has been tainted by several accidents and questions about the reliability of its aged fleet.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Net income is $807 million, or 43 cents per diluted share.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The device pulls in a lot of air to capture the very diluted CO2.—
Molly McCrea,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Second, a dilute hydrochloric acid is used to dissolve the remaining lithium and the transition metals—nickel, cobalt, and manganese.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Oct. 2025
-
For example, Wilson’s team is exploring whether dilute acids speed up weathering.—
Robert F. Service,
Science | AAAS,
3 Sep. 2020
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
-
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
-
The post-debate reaction from this week has been quite mixed, but there is an overall feeling that nobody really delivered a solid punch.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Stock futures were little changed, while Asia-Pacific markets opened mixed.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Wise’s wistful songwriting is retained, but completely missing is his intentionally impure palette.—
Billie Bugara,
Pitchfork,
7 Mar. 2026
-
This is because they are often seen as ritually impure.—
Megan Bryson,
The Conversation,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Polluted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/polluted. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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