adulterated

IPA/əˈdʌl.tə.reɪ.tɪd/

KK[ədˈʌltɚˌetɪd]IPA/əˈdʌl.tə.reɪ.t̬ɪd/

1.形容詞B2

釋義

describes food or medicine whose quality has been reduced because a cheaper or harmful substance has been mixed into it.

例句

Omar was horrified to find that the baby formula was adulterated with cheap filler ingredients.

collocation: adulterated with [substance]

Wei buys olive oil only from a trusted farm after finding many adulterated brands.

同義詞

contaminated
more general — suggests harmful germs or toxins, not necessarily deliberate
tampered with
emphasises the act of interference rather than the lowered quality
watered down
informal; specifically suggests dilution, not always with a harmful substance

反義詞

pure
contains no added or harmful substances
unadulterated
direct opposite; emphasises that nothing has been added or removed

Commonly used in news reports about food safety, drug quality, and consumer protection. Frequently passive (be adulterated with [substance]).

❌The milk was adulterated by water.

✅The milk was adulterated with water.

💡The substance added is introduced by the preposition 'with', not 'by'.

❌Adulterated food means food that has gone bad.

✅Adulterated food means food that has had something cheap or harmful added to it.

💡'Adulterated' involves deliberate tampering, not natural spoilage.

adulterated — adjective