adulterate

[verb uh-duhl-tuh-reyt; adjective uh-duhl-ter-it, -tuh-reyt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR adulterate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), a·dul·ter·at·ed, a·dul·ter·at·ing.

to debase or make impure by adding inferior materials or elements; use cheaper, inferior, or less desirable goods in the production of (any professedly genuine article): to adulterate food.

adjective

impure or debased; cheapened in quality or purity.

adulterous.

Origin of adulterate

1580–90; < Latin adulterātus mixed, adulterated (past participle of adulterāre), equivalent to ad- ad- + -ulter (perhaps combining form of alter other; see alter) + -ātus -ate¹

Related formsa·dul·ter·a·tor, nounun·a·dul·ter·ate, adjective

Can be confusedadulterer adulterate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for adulterated

tainted, weakened, diluted, mixed, deteriorated, defiled, corrupt, impaired, degraded, attenuated, polluted, contaminated

Examples from the Web for adulterated

Contemporary Examples of adulterated

Deeming it to be “adulterated and misbranded,” they dyed the milk blue.
Wisconsin Farmer to Stand Trial for Selling Raw Milk
Sarah Begley
May 12, 2013

Historical Examples of adulterated

Nature hates all false coloring and is ever best where she is least adulterated with art.
The Praise of Folly
Desiderius Erasmus
Nothing is more prejudicial to health than adulterated liquors, or liquors that are debased by any corrupting vegetable substance.
The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,
Mary Eaton
Chocolate is often adulterated with roasted rice and Pili nuts.
The Philippine Islands
John Foreman
And even that will be stolen by the Liberals or adulterated by the Conservatives.
A Miscellany of Men
G. K. Chesterton
This is usually white lead, but it is often adulterated with zinc oxide; 2.
Handwork in Wood
William Noyes

British Dictionary definitions for adulterated

adulterate

verb (əˈdʌltəˌreɪt)

(tr) to debase by adding inferior materialto adulterate milk with water

adjective (əˈdʌltərɪt, -ˌreɪt)

adulterated; debased or impure

a less common word for adulterous

Derived Formsadulteration, nounadulterator, noun

Word Origin for adulterate

C16: from Latin adulterāre to corrupt, commit adultery, probably from alter another, hence to approach another, commit adultery

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

Word Origin and History for adulterated

adulterate

1530s, back-formation from adulteration, or else from Latin adulteratus, past participle of adulterare "to falsify, corrupt," also "to commit adultery." Earlier verb was adulter (late 14c.). Related: Adulterated; adulterating.