Agriculture, forestry and urbanization are increasing the amount of sediment, chemicals and plastics flowing into the oceans, and contaminating the coastline.
Source: tatoeba (8269861)
Contaminating
Synonyms for "contaminating" (27 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (6)
Strong matches (8)
Adjective(2 words)
Related words (13)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: adulterant, adulterating, befouling, bias, contaminant.
- Sentence evidence is available for contaminating, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from derived_reverse, opengloss, wordnet.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "contaminating".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "contaminating"
Keep "contaminating" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "contaminating" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "contaminating", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "contaminating" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
11 entriesMore specific
18 entriesair contaminationbiological contaminantbiological contaminationchemical contaminantchemical contaminationculture contaminationdata contaminationenvironmental contaminantexperimental biasexperimental contaminantfood contaminationheavy metal contaminantradiological contaminantradiological contaminationsample contaminationsampling bias
Showing 16 of 18 words.
Collocations
9 entriescontaminating agentcontaminating dischargecontaminating factorcontaminating influencecontaminating materialcontaminating presencecontaminating processcontaminating sourcecontaminating substance
Inflections
5 entriesDerivations
6 entriessimilar
1 entriesSample sentences
4 total sentences available.
The project envisions a future where human explorers can bring a compact habitat built out of a lightweight material with dormant fungi that will last on long journeys to places like Mars. Upon arrival, by unfolding that basic structure and simply adding water, the fungi will be able to grow around that framework into a fully functional human habitat – all while being safely contained within the habitat to avoid contaminating the Martian environment.
Source: tatoeba (8497656)
The dead zone’s expansion is believed to be driven by pollutant runoff from farms and cities contaminating the Mississippi River, which flows into the Gulf of Mexico and stimulates oxygen-consuming algae growth.
Source: tatoeba (10212550)
For example, according to Stein, efforts are being made to prevent a recurrence of what happened during super storm Sandy: salty ocean water driven by the storm surge breached the freshwater marsh systems on the Atlantic coast, contaminating critical shore bird habitats.
Source: tatoeba (12273659)
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "contaminating"?
Closest matches include adulterant, adulterating, befouling, bias, contaminant.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "contaminating"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.