adulterate Hear it!

adulterate Definition

adul·ter·ate (ə dultər āt′; for adj., -tər it)

transitive verb -·at′ed, -·at′·ing

to make inferior, impure, not genuine, etc. by adding a harmful, less valuable, or prohibited substance

Etymology: < L adulteratus, pp. of adulterare, to falsify < adulter, an adulterer, counterfeiter < ad-, to + alter, other, another

adjective

  1. guilty of adultery; adulterous
  2. adulterated; not genuine

adulterate Related Forms
adul·tera′·tor noun
adulterate Synonyms

adulterate

v.

weaken, mix with, intermix, alloy, amalgamate, dilute, water down, water, infiltrate, infect, lessen, reduce, concoct, infuse, mingle with, commingle, blend, taint, pollute, debase, corrupt, contaminate, depreciate, cheapen, devalue, vitiate, muddle, impair, make lower in quality, thin out, defile, denature, degrade, deteriorate, dissolve, make impure, tamper with, simplify, falsify, cut*, doctor*.

Antonyms purify*, cleanse, maintain.

adulterate Usage Examples

Object

  • chicken: Green Euro-MPs including South-East England MEP Caroline Lucas have demanded an immediate moratorium on watered down and adulterated chicken.
  • food: To adulterate food was not just an economic act.
  • product: These businessmen didn't adulterate products, putting leaves in tea or chalk in flour.
  • milk: For example let's take milk: we would all think it wrong to sell adulterated milk.
  • oil: What we should look out for is its quality as many low quality or adulterated olive oils are sold on the market.
  • pesticide: GM crops and foods are safer than adulterated, pesticide laced and vermin infested foods that are sold in many parts of Asia.

Preposition: with

  • substance: Also there are no standards of ' quality control ' for illegal drugs; they may be adulterated with other substances to increase profits.
  • oil: To investigate whether olive oils sold in the UK are being substituted or adulterated with cheaper vegetable oils or lower grades of olive oil.
  • additive: Our diet is adulterated with too many additives and preservatives, our water is less than clean, our air is polluted.
  • ingredient: In the past, basic foods such as flour, spices and beer were adulterated with cheaper ingredients.
  • drug: Much of ecstasy sold is adulterated with other drugs or is false.

Modifying Another Word

  • often: Contact dermatitis from olive oil, which is often adulterated, was noted by Greenberg and Lester ( 1954 ).
  • not: First, that the oils used are 100 percent natural, not adulterated in any way.
  • so: The scheme was so adulterated that the additional financial benefit to British universities to enable them to compete worldwide will be minimal.
  • occasionally: Powdered Digitalis leaf is occasionally adulterated; the following leaves have been substituted for the true drug: mullein ( Verbascum thapsus, fam.
  • heavily: QUALITY: Street heroin is invariably heavily adulterated, but the extent of this varies wildly from area to area and dealer to dealer.
  • n't: These businessmen did n't adulterate products, putting leaves in tea or chalk in flour.

Preposition: in

  • way: First, that the oils used are 100 percent natural, not adulterated in any way.

Browse dictionary entries near adulterate

  1. adulterant
  2. adult
  3. adulation
  4. adulate
  5. adularia
  6. adsuki bean
  7. adsorption
  8. adsorbent
  9. adsorbate
  10. adsorb
  1. adulterated
  2. adulteration
  3. adulterer
  4. adulteress
  5. adulterine
  6. adulterous
  7. adultery
  8. adumbral
  9. adumbrate
  10. aduncate