adjective
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made unclean or impure; contaminated
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slang intoxicated; drunk
Other Word Forms
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.
A year before a massive fire at a Boyle Heights cold storage building sent polluted smoke into surrounding communities, the operator of the facility came to Los Angeles City Hall with a request.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
Honeybees have long been used as biological indicators of environmental contamination in heavily polluted locations.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 7, 2026
The new law sets France "the goal of decontaminating soil and water polluted" by the pesticide, according to a copy on the parliament's website.
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
The Wye is one of the UK's most celebrated rivers but it's become more polluted in recent years.
From BBC ● May 24, 2026
Our major cities are polluted with noxious molecules.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
