What does "contaminant" mean?

That which contaminates; an impurity; foreign matter.

What is a synonym for "contaminant"?

Common synonyms include: contamination, impurity, poison, pollution.

How do you pronounce "contaminant"?

Pronounced //kənˈtamɪnənt//.

Contaminant

//kənˈtamɪnənt// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
That which contaminates; an impurity; foreign matter.
"Put the lid on the jar to keep contaminants out."
2
a substance that contaminates wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

contamination impurity poison pollution

Example

More examples

"Arsenic, a known carcinogen, is a contaminant that comes in two forms: organic and inorganic. Organic arsenic occurs naturally in the soil and water. Inorganic arsenic comes mainly from commercial fertilizers and pesticides used in agriculture."

Etymology

Borrowed from French contaminant, present participle of contaminer (“to contaminate”), from Latin contāmināre. By surface analysis, contaminate + -ant.

Related phrases

cross-contaminant

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.