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pollutant

American  
[puh-loot-nt] / pəˈlut nt /

noun

  1. something that pollutes.

  2. any substance, as certain chemicals or waste products, that renders the air, soil, water, or other natural resource harmful or unsuitable for a specific purpose.

pollutant British  
/ pəˈluːtənt /

noun

  1. a substance that pollutes, esp a chemical or similar substance that is produced as a waste product of an industrial process

"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
pollutant Scientific  
/ pə-lo̅o̅t′nt /

  1. A substance or condition that contaminates air, water, or soil. Pollutants can be artificial substances, such as pesticides and PCBs, or naturally occurring substances, such as oil or carbon dioxide, that occur in harmful concentrations in a given environment. Heat transmitted to natural waterways through warm-water discharge from power plants and uncontained radioactivity from nuclear wastes are also considered pollutants.

Other Word Forms

  • nonpollutant adjective

Etymology

Origin of pollutant

First recorded in 1890–95; pollute + -ant

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.

According to Wilder Humber, seagrass captures carbon up to 35 times faster than tropical rainforests and improves water quality by absorbing pollutants.

From BBC

Changes to diet, lifestyle and environmental pollutants such as microplastics have all been suggested as potential causes of the rise in cases, but definitive proof has been elusive.

From Barron's

It’s part of a broader real-estate industry trend to track properties’ surroundings, amid pressure to anticipate how everything from pollutants to window cleaning—and even strong lights—could harm living creatures.

From The Wall Street Journal

"While a lot of emissions from residential wood burning come from the suburbs, pollutants emitted into the air don't typically stay put," Horton said.

From Science Daily

That earlier study identified several key drivers, including shrinking snow and ice cover, rising atmospheric moisture, and the influence of aerosol pollutants.

From Science Daily

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.