adjective
-
made unclean or impure; contaminated
-
slang intoxicated; drunk
Other Word Forms
- pollutedness noun
- unpolluted adjective
Etymology
Origin of polluted
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at pollute, -ed 2
Explanation
Anything that's polluted is ruined and dirty — it's been contaminated by something dangerous or even deadly. It's not safe to eat fish caught in a polluted river. The adjective polluted is obviously a close relative to pollute and pollution, so you know that polluted air or water isn't clean. All of these words come from the Latin polluere, "to soil or defile," from a combination of por-, "before," and -luere, "to smear." A polluted city can result from a coal-burning factory, and things can also be figuratively polluted: "Fear of outsiders created a polluted society."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Journal reported in March that Mr. Piñón believes new power plants have to be built because the existing ones sit on polluted land.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026
With the cost of living on the rise following years of high inflation, many traders exposed to the sun and polluted air are more concerned about putting food on the table than air quality.
From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026
For Fonda, cleaning up polluted air is one element of breaking climate change, and protest and elections are the template.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026
In less than two years, Pasha, as he's known, transformed from an events coordinator and videographer at a primary school in Karabash, one of the most polluted places on earth, to an Oscar nominee.
From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026
I breathed deeply and felt the crisp, clean air draft my polluted lungs.
From "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
