Adulterate Definition

ə-dŭltə-rāt
adulterated, adulterates, adulterating
verb
adulterated, adulterates, adulterating
To make impure by adding extraneous, improper, or inferior ingredients.
American Heritage
To make inferior, impure, not genuine, etc. by adding a harmful, less valuable, or prohibited substance.
Webster's New World
Wiktionary

To spoil by adding impurities.

To adulterate food, drink, drugs, coins, etc.
Wiktionary

To commit adultery.

Wiktionary
adjective
Spurious; adulterated.
American Heritage
Guilty of adultery; adulterous.
Webster's New World
Adulterous.
American Heritage
Adulterated; not genuine.
Webster's New World

Tending to commit adultery.

Wiktionary
Synonyms:
Antonyms:

Origin of Adulterate

  • Dated 16th Century CE; modified from adulteration, likely with earlier origin in the Latin past‐participle adulteratus.

    From Wiktionary

  • Latin adulterāre adulterāt- to pollute al-1 in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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