What does "adulterate" mean?
To corrupt, to debase (someone or something).
Adulterate
/əˈdʌltəɹət/ adj, verb
adj, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To corrupt, to debase (someone or something).
- Grammar: adulterate is listed as adj, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: dilute, abase, adulter, adulterated.
- Useful contrasts: cleanse, confirm, enrich.
- Usage evidence: You should not adulterate wine with water.
How to use "adulterate"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "adulterate" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "adulterate" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "adulterate" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "adulterate" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "adulterate" is acting as adj, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "dilute" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "adulterate", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To corrupt, to debase (someone or something). archaic, literary, transitive
"For thus, that King violated that Oath which he ought moſt religiouſly to have ſworn to; but that he might not ſeem openly and publickly to violate it, he craftily adulterated and corrupted it; and leaſt he himſelf ſhould be accounted perjur'd, he turn'd the very Oath into a Perjury. [...] And who durſt pervert and adulterate that Law which he thought the only Obſtacle that ſtood in his way, and hindred him from perverting all the reſt of the Laws?"
- 2 corrupt, debase, or make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance; often by replacing valuable ingredients with inferior ones wordnet
- 3 To make less valuable or spoil (something) by adding impurities or other substances. archaic, literary, transitive
"to adulterate coins, drugs, food and drink, etc."
- 4 To commit adultery with (someone). archaic, literary, transitive
- 5 To defile (someone) by adultery. archaic, literary, transitive
"Yet ſome would perſwade us, that this abſurd opinion was King Davids; becauſe in the 51st Pſalm he cries out to God, Againſt thee onely have I ſinn'd; as if David had imagin'd that to murder Uriah and adulterate his Wife, had bin no ſinn againſt his Neighbour, when as that Law of Moſes was to the King expreſly, Deut. 17. not to think ſo highly of himſelf above his Brethren."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To commit adultery. also, archaic, figuratively, intransitive, literary
"But Fortune, oh, / She is corrupted, chang’d, and wonne from thee, / Sh’adulterates hourely with thine Vnckle Iohn, / And with her golden hand hath pluckt on France / To tread downe faire reſpect of Soueraigntie, / And made his Maieſtie the bawd to theirs."
Adjective
- 1 Corrupted or made impure by being mixed with something else; adulterated. archaic, literary
"Theſe, and other like places in abundance through all thoſe ſhort Epiſtles, muſt either be adulterat, or elſe Ignatius [of Antioch] was not Ignatius, nor a Martyr, but moſt adulterate, and corrupt himſelf."
- 2 Tending to commit adultery; relating to or being the product of adultery; adulterous. archaic, literary
"I am poſſeſt with an adulterate blot, / My bloud is mingled with the crime of luſt: [...]"
Adjective
- 1 mixed with impurities wordnet
Example
"You should not adulterate wine with water."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "adulterate"?
Common synonyms include: dilute, abase, adulter, adulterated, adulterize, aggravate.
How do you use "adulterate" in a sentence?
You should not adulterate wine with water.
How do you pronounce "adulterate"?
Pronounced /əˈdʌltəɹət/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Latin adulterātus (“adulterate, adulterated, defiled, polluted, counterfeited”), perfect passive participle of adulterō (“to adulterate, defile, commit adultery (with), counterfeit”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from ad- (“to, in the direction of”) + alter (“other”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix), literally “to go after someone else”. Equivalent to adultery + -ate.
Etymology 2
From Latin adulterātus, see Etymology 1 and -ate (verb-forming suffix).