unadulterated
Americanadjective
-
not diluted or made impure by adulterating; pure.
unadulterated maple syrup.
-
utter; absolute.
unadulterated nonsense.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unadulterated
First recorded in 1710–20; un- 1 + adulterate + -ed 2
Explanation
Something that's pure, not mixed with other ingredients, is unadulterated. If you stand in your yard every time it rains singing "Singin' in the Rain" with unadulterated enthusiasm, your neighbors will eventually call the police. Food or drink that is pure is also said to be unadulterated. Some people like chocolate milk, but you might prefer the unadulterated variety. The adjective unadulterated also means "without qualifications," and it can be used in a negative way to mean "complete and utter." You'd probably feel like an unadulterated idiot if you shocked yourself by sticking a knife in the toaster after being advised not to.
Vocabulary lists containing unadulterated
Rap Lyrics
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"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 1
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A Wrinkle in Time
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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.
The stream — called the Kornacki Cam — provides unadulterated number-crunching without any pundits weighing in.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2026
Most of the questions and answers were about training and diet, the preparation required to make a film brimming with sheer, unadulterated masculinity.
From Salon • May 27, 2026
Since the late 1970s, a number of biographies of Mansfield have sought to dismantle the sanitized version of her life promoted by Murry, and a scholarly industry devoted to restoring her unadulterated voice has flourished.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026
The group said it believed the images were neither art or a political statement but "unadulterated hatred" and said its legal team was examining the footage to consider further steps.
From BBC • Dec. 12, 2025
The anticipation there gave way to blank incomprehension and then to pure, unadulterated rage.
From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken
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.
