adulterate
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adulterate¹
- /əˈdʌltəɹət/ UK
- /əˈdʌltəɹət/ US
- [-ˈdəl-] US
Where it comes from
From Latin adulterātus (“adulterate, adulterated, defiled, polluted, counterfeited”), perfect passive participle of adulterō (“to adulterate, defile, commit adultery (with), counterfeit”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from ad- (“to, in the direction of”) + alter (“other”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix), literally “to go after someone else”. Equivalent to adultery + -ate.
adjective more adulterate · most adulterate
- Corrupted or made impure by being mixed with something else; adulterated. Theſe, and other like places in abundance through all thoſe ſhort Epiſtles, muſt either be adulterat, or elſe Ignatius [of Antioch] was not Ignatius, nor a Martyr, but moſt adulterate, and corrupt himſelf.
- Tending to commit adultery; relating to or being the product of adultery; adulterous. I am poſſeſt with an adulterate blot, / My bloud is mingled with the crime of luſt: [...]
adulterate²
- /əˈdʌltəɹeɪt/ UK
- [-ˈdɒl-] UK
- /əˈdʌltəˌɹeɪt/ US
- [-ˈdəl-] US
Where it comes from
From Latin adulterātus, see Etymology 1 and -ate (verb-forming suffix).
verb adulterates · adulterating · adulterated · adulterate
-
To corrupt, to debase (someone or something).
For thus, that King violated that Oath which he ought moſt religiouſly to have ſworn to; but that he might not ſeem openly and publickly to violate it, he craftily adulterated and corrupted it; and leaſt he himſelf ſhould be accounted perjur'd, he turn'd the very Oath into a Perjury. [...] And who d
Similar: lead astray, sophisticate, warp, adulterate, corrupt, debauch, demoralize, detort, file, immoralize, pervert, pollute
-
To make less valuable or spoil (something) by adding impurities or other substances.
to adulterate coins, drugs, food and drink, etc.
Similar: adulter, debase, sophisticate
-
To commit adultery with (someone).
Similar: adulter
- To defile (someone) by adultery. Yet ſome would perſwade us, that this abſurd opinion was King Davids; becauſe in the 51st Pſalm he cries out to God, Againſt thee onely have I ſinn'd; as if David had imagin'd that to murder Uriah and adulterate his Wife, had bin no ſinn againſt his Neighbour, when as that Law of Moſes was to the Ki
- To commit adultery. But Fortune, oh, / She is corrupted, chang’d, and wonne from thee, / Sh’adulterates hourely with thine Vnckle Iohn, / And with her golden hand hath pluckt on France / To tread downe faire reſpect of Soueraigntie, / And made his Maieſtie the bawd to theirs.
Similar: abase, adulter, adulterate, adulterize, alloy, balderdash, corrupt, bastardize, dash, dilute, embase, sophisticate · Opposite: enrich, rectify, refine
Thesaurus
verb
Similar: abase, adulter, adulterate, adulterize, alloy, balderdash, corrupt, bastardize, dash, dilute, embase, sophisticate · Opposite: enrich, rectify, refine
Translations
Every language
verb corrupt, debase — see also corrupt, debase
| Español | adulterar |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 腐蝕 /腐蚀 fǔshí, 敗壞 /败坏 bàihuài, 墮落 /堕落 duòluò, 篡改 cuàngǎi |
| Português | adulterar |
| Deutsch | verfälschen, verderben, verunreinigen, verschlechtern, panschen, abwandeln |
| Italiano | adulterare |
| Ελληνικά | νοθεύω nothévo |
| Русский | по́ртить pórtitʹ |
verb make less valuable or spoil (something) by adding impurities or other substances
| Español | adulterar |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 摻假 /掺假 chānjiǎ, 摻雜 /掺杂 chānzá, 污染 wūrǎn |
| Русский | разбавля́ть razbavljátʹ, подме́шивать podméšivatʹ |
verb defile (someone) by adultery
| 中文 | 玷污 diànwū |
|---|
verb (transitive) commit adultery with (someone)
| Español | cometer adulterio con |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 通姦 /通奸 tōngjiān, 有染 yǒurǎn, 私通 sītōng |
| Русский | прелюбоде́йствовать preljubodéjstvovatʹ |
verb (intransitive) commit adultery
| Español | adulterar, cometer adulterio |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 通姦 /通奸 tōngjiān |
Talk about this word "adulterate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/adulterate. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. adulterate. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/adulterate "adulterate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/adulterate.Cite this
@misc{adulterate_2026,
title = {adulterate},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/adulterate},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
