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.
Ulla Reeves, interim director for NPCA’s clean air program, called California’s performance in the Polluted Parks report “disappointing.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2024
Now, research from Rutgers suggests another reason to hold our breath: Polluted air also may hurt reproductive health.
From Science Daily • Nov. 15, 2023
Polluted water discharges into the Seine have been cut significantly, they said.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 17, 2023
Polluted water from an old landfill site was allowed to seep into a river because council managers did not know how to run it properly, environmental inspectors have said.
From BBC • Oct. 29, 2021
Polluted air, bacteria-infested water, and the Zika virus.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
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.
