POLLUTANTS Synonyms: 31 Similar and Opposite Words

pollutants

noun

plural of pollutant

as in contaminants

something that is or that makes impure filtered the pollutants out of the water

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of pollutants Facilities would have to be on land zoned for heavy industrial use and could not be located near disadvantaged communities or populations sensitive to pollutants, such as hospitals, schools and nursing homes. — Naomi Taxay, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2026 Ancient rock art at Murujuga, or the Burrup Peninsula, in Western Australia, has seen much larger damaged than previously anticipated due to industrial pollutants found in air emissions. — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 26 Aug. 2026 How this potent mix of pollutants transforms over time and distance is a complex puzzle. — Michael A. Robinson, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2026 This summer has seen record-smashing heatwaves across Europe, huge wildfires from Spain and France to Canada, which have released deadly pollutants into the air, and yet more extreme heat from Africa to Asia. — Catarina Rolfsdotter-Jansson, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026 These fun masks foam up on the skin to remove dirt, oil, debris, and other pollutants that can clog your pores. — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026 Improving raw ore, for instance, involves releasing water that is contaminated with radioactive pollutants, creating health issues for workers and local residents. — Gloria Xiong, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026 Our state has thousands of sites already polluted with toxic chemicals and other pollutants, and those projects affect air quality, safe drinking water and community health for millions of Californians. — Shannon Olivieri Hovis, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2026 What is worse, pollutants in the upper atmosphere remain much longer than those emitted by cars and factory chimneys close to the ground. — Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 11 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pollutants

Noun

Some food dyes made from natural ingredients can contain contaminants and may pose their own health risks, such as diabetes.

— Stephanie Armour, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
In Keyport, New Jersey, a community's residents gathered to learn more about an investigation into contaminants found at an industrial park and neighboring former landfill and whether the contaminants could be affecting their air and water.

— Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of contaminants

Noun

In one of the heaviest contaminations of TCE and PCE documented, thousands of soldiers and their families were exposed to the solvents at North Carolina’s Camp Lejeune from 1953 to 1987.

— WUFT News, Miami Herald, 29 July 2026
And the Food and Drug Administration is also investigating contaminations that may be tied to a different outbreak.

— Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 24 July 2026

Definition of contaminations

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pollutant

pollutants

pollute

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“Pollutants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pollutants. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of pollutants

noun

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