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View synonyms for

contaminate

[kuhn-tam-uh-neyt, kuhn-tam-uh-nit, -neyt]

verb (used with object)

contaminated, contaminating 
  1. to make impure or unsuitable by contact or mixture with something unclean, bad, etc..

    to contaminate a lake with sewage.

    Synonyms: , , , , ,
  2. to render harmful or unusable by adding radioactive material to.

    to contaminate a laboratory.



noun

  1. something that contaminates or carries contamination; contaminant.

adjective

  1. Obsolete.contaminated.

contaminate

verb

  1. to make impure, esp by touching or mixing; pollute

  2. to make radioactive by the addition of radioactive material

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. archaiccontaminated

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • contaminable adjective
  • contaminative adjective
  • contaminator noun
  • contaminous adjective
  • noncontaminable adjective
  • noncontaminative adjective
  • recontaminate verb (used with object)
  • self-contaminating adjective
  • uncontaminable adjective
  • uncontaminated adjective
  • uncontaminative adjective
  • DzˈٲԲپ adjective
  • DzˈٲԲ adjective
  • DzˈٲˌԲٴǰ noun
  • DzˈٲԲԳ noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of contaminate1

1375–1425; late Middle English contaminaten < Latin DzԳ峾ٳܲ, past participle of DzԳ峾 to defile, spoil, equivalent to con- con- + -峾Բ, verbal derivative of *峾 something touched < *tag-s-men, equivalent to tag-, variant stem of tangere to touch + -s-men resultative noun suffix; examen
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Word History and Origins

Origin of contaminate1

C15: from Latin DzԳٲ to defile; related to Latin contingere to touch
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

In 2021 a Dutch court ordered Shell to compensate farmers for spills that contaminated swathes of farmland and fishing waters in the Niger Delta.

From

They alleged the insurer has delayed and denied claims, leaving wildfire victims in perilous financial positions and unable to return to contaminated homes.

From

But campaigners have long warned about a lack of regulation and that sludge could be contaminated with cancer-linked chemicals, microplastics, and other industrial pollutants.

From

The University of Leicester's study into police retention of investigative materials, found three quarters of lawyers it surveyed had worked on a criminal conviction where evidence had been lost, destroyed or contaminated.

From

Her defence team say the contaminated meal was a tragic accident, and argue it had made their client sick too.

From

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contaminantcontamination