Contaminate vs. Pollute — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Contaminate and Pollute
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Compare with Definitions
Contaminate
To make impure or unclean by contact or mixture.
Pollute
To make unfit for or harmful to living things, especially by the addition of waste matter.
Contaminate
To expose to or permeate with radioactivity.
Pollute
To make less suitable for an activity, especially by the introduction of unwanted factors
The stadium lights polluted the sky around the observatory.
Contaminate
(Linguistics) To influence the semantic properties or phonological form of (a word or phrase); blend with
The Middle English word femelle was contaminated by the word male, resulting in the modern form female.
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Pollute
To render impure or morally harmful; corrupt
Felt that the minds of young people were hopelessly polluted by television ads.
Contaminate
One that contaminates; a contaminant.
Pollute
(transitive) To make something harmful, especially by the addition of some unwanted product.
The factory polluted the river when it cleaned its tanks.
Contaminate
(transitive) To make something dangerous or toxic by introducing impurities or foreign matter.
This water is contaminated. It isn't safe to drink.
Pollute
(transitive) To make something or somewhere less suitable for some activity, especially by the introduction of some unnatural factor.
The lights from the stadium polluted the night sky, and we couldn't see the stars.
Contaminate
(transitive) To soil, stain, corrupt, or infect by contact or association.
Pollute
To corrupt or profane
Contaminate
(transitive) To make unfit for use by the introduction of unwholesome or undesirable elements.
Do not contaminate the peanut butter with the jelly.
Pollute
To violate sexually; to debauch; to dishonour.
Contaminate
To infect, often with bad objects
Pollute
(rare) Polluted; defiled.
Contaminate
To soil, stain, or corrupt by contact; to tarnish; to sully; to taint; to pollute; to defile.
Shall we nowContaminate our figures with base bribes?
I would neither have simplicity imposed upon, nor virtue contaminated.
Pollute
To make foul, impure, or unclean; to defile; to taint; to soil; to desecrate; - used of physical or moral defilement.
The land was polluted with blood.
Wickedness . . . hath polluted the whole earth.
Contaminate
Contaminated; defiled; polluted; tainted.
Pollute
To violate sexually; to debauch; to dishonor.
Contaminate
Make impure;
The industrial wastes polluted the lake
Pollute
To render ceremonially unclean; to disqualify or unfit for sacred use or service, or for social intercourse.
Neither shall ye pollute the holy things of the children of Israel, lest ye die.
They have polluted themselves with blood.
Contaminate
Make radioactive by adding radioactive material;
Don't drink the water--it's contaminated
Pollute
Polluted.
Pollute
Make impure;
The industrial wastes polluted the lake
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