Antonyms for contaminate
kənˈtæm əˌneɪt; -nɪt, -ˌneɪtcon·tam·i·nate

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. contaminate

   The hand may be defiled by a touch of pitch; swine that have been wallowing in the mud are befouled. Contaminate and infect refer to something evil that deeply pervades and permeates, as the human body or mind. Pollute is used chiefly of liquids; as, water polluted with sewage. Tainted meat is repulsive; infected meat contains germs of disease. A soiled garment may be cleansed by washing; a spoiled garment is beyond cleansing or repair. Bright metal is tarnished by exposure; a fair sheet is sullied by a dirty hand. In figurative use, defile may be used merely in the ceremonial sense; "they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled," John xviii, 28; contaminate refers to deep spiritual injury. Pollute has also a reference to sacrilege; as, to pollute a sanctuary, an altar, or an ordinance. The innocent are often contaminated by association with the wicked; the vicious are more and more corrupted by their own excesses. We speak of a vitiated taste or style; fraud vitiates a title or a contract.

   Antonyms:
   clean, cleanse, disinfect, hallow, purify, sanctify, wash

   Synonyms:
   befoul, corrupt, defile, infect, pollute, soil, spoil, stain, sully, taint, tarnish, vitiate

   Preposition:
   The temple was defiled with blood; defiled by sacrilegious deeds.

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:5.0 / 2 votes

1. contaminate

   Antonyms:
   purify, cleanse, lave, clarify, sanctify, chasten

   Synonyms:
   defile, taint, corrupt, sully, befoul, soil

Matched Categories

1. • Change

Princeton's WordNetRate these antonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. pollute, foul, contaminateverb

   make impure

   "The industrial wastes polluted the lake"

   Antonyms:
   decontaminate

   Synonyms:
   back up, maculate, choke off, befoul, clog, defile, pollute, foul, clog up, congest, choke

2. contaminateverb

   make radioactive by adding radioactive material

   "Don't drink the water--it's contaminated"

   Antonyms:
   decontaminate

   Synonyms:
   foul, pollute

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. contaminateverb

   Synonyms:
   corrupt, pollute, defile, infect, taint, vitiate, sully, debase

How to use contaminate in a sentence?

1. Baland Jalal:

   Exposure therapy can be very stressful and so is not always effective or even feasible for many patients, if you can provide an indirect treatment that's reasonably realistic, where you contaminate a rubber hand instead of a real hand, this might provide a bridge that will allow more people to tolerate exposure therapy or even replace (it) altogether.

2. Christophe Nussbaum:

   What is new here is that, if one day we want to stock CO2 in Switzerland, which is a densely populated region, we need to make sure that the CO2 won't migrate into the surface and contaminate, for instance, drinking water sources. This is really one of the major stakes here.

3. Rodrigo Duterte:

   This vaping, they say it is electronic. Don't give me that shit. Better stop it, I will order your arrest if you do it in a room... That is like smoking. You contaminate people.

4. Greenlight Capital David Einhorn:

   We object to oil fracking because their investments can contaminate portfolio returns.

5. Guy Ritchie:

   I like the original movie so I'm aware I don't want to contaminate the nostalgia of the first one, what you want to do is embellish.

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