adulteration

Adulteration is the act of making something impure or altering its original form by adding materials or elements that aren’t usually part of it, especially inferior ones.

It can also refer to a thing that has been altered in such a way, or the state that that thing is in after having been altered.

Adulteration is commonly used in the context of food preparation and manufacturing in reference to the contamination of food products with additives that make them impure in some way. There are laws against adulteration, especially when the ingredients added may be harmful to people’s health.

Adulteration is the noun form of the verb adulterate, meaning to make something impure by adding inferior materials or elements. Something that has been altered in such a way can be described as adulterated.

Example: They’re starting to crack down on the widespread adulteration of milk and dairy products by testing them for additives.

The first records of adulteration come from the early 1500s. It ultimately derives from the Latin verb adulterāre, meaning “to corrupt.” It could also mean “to commit adultery” (“to cheat on one’s spouse”) and the word adultery comes from the same root.

Adulteration is most commonly used in the context of food products, but it can be applied to any situation in which inferior ingredients are added, such as to medicines, cosmetics, and fuel. In a lot of cases, products are adulterated by adding materials to make them look better (like the addition of chalk powder to flour to make it look whiter) or by adding filler so that less of the product can be sold at the same price (as in the addition of brick powder to chili powder). Many forms of adulteration can be dangerous, especially because they involve things we put into our body (food and medicine) or on our skin (cosmetics). For that reason, the ingredients of things are often regulated by governments to make sure that harmful adulteration isn’t taking place. Adulteration is always used negatively because it can be harmful and it’s generally associated with cutting costs to make more money.

Adulteration can also be applied to abstract or intangible things thought to have been contaminated or made impure in some way, as in This amendment is an adulteration of our constitution.

What are some other forms related to adulteration?

• adulterate (verb)
• adulterated (adjective)

What are some synonyms for adulteration?

• contamination 

What are some words that share a root or word element with adulteration? 

• adulterant
• adulterine
• adultery 

What are some words that often get used in discussing adulteration?

• impure
• contaminate
• ingredient
• additive
• preservative
• food
• harmful
• consumption
• product

Adulteration is always used negatively to imply that something has been made impure or worse in some way. It’s most commonly used in the context of food and products that could make us sick if they have impurities in them.

Small beekeepers want strict guidelines on honey to counter adulteration by big brands. https://t.co/vpCnS3EGDo

— scroll.in (@scroll_in) January 20, 2017

District Court Enters Injunction against New York Company and Corporate Officials to Prevent Adulteration of Food Products https://t.co/LHAEBJqPHD

— Justice Department (@TheJusticeDept) November 22, 2019

There is no tolerance for groups that market drugs as supplements. Adulteration of valuable supplements with drugs is not only unethical, it is illegal and deceptive with serious potential complications. https://t.co/3TzxzXMrnW

— Dr. Mark JS Miller (@docmmiller) November 26, 2019

Which of the following words is LEAST likely to describe something that has undergone adulteration?

A. contaminated
B. tarnished
C. pure
D. tainted