Contaminate vs. Pollute — What's the Difference?

To make impure or unclean by contact or mixture.

To make unfit for or harmful to living things, especially by the addition of waste matter.

To expose to or permeate with radioactivity.

To make less suitable for an activity, especially by the introduction of unwanted factors

(Linguistics) To influence the semantic properties or phonological form of (a word or phrase); blend with

To render impure or morally harmful; corrupt

One that contaminates; a contaminant.

(transitive) To make something harmful, especially by the addition of some unwanted product.

(transitive) To make something dangerous or toxic by introducing impurities or foreign matter.

(transitive) To make something or somewhere less suitable for some activity, especially by the introduction of some unnatural factor.

(transitive) To soil, stain, corrupt, or infect by contact or association.

To corrupt or profane

(transitive) To make unfit for use by the introduction of unwholesome or undesirable elements.

To violate sexually; to debauch; to dishonour.

To infect, often with bad objects

(rare) Polluted; defiled.

To soil, stain, or corrupt by contact; to tarnish; to sully; to taint; to pollute; to defile.

To make foul, impure, or unclean; to defile; to taint; to soil; to desecrate; - used of physical or moral defilement.

Contaminated; defiled; polluted; tainted.

To violate sexually; to debauch; to dishonor.

Make impure;

To render ceremonially unclean; to disqualify or unfit for sacred use or service, or for social intercourse.

Make radioactive by adding radioactive material;

Polluted.

Make impure;