Standard Lemma guide

contamination

noun · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /kənˌtæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /kənˌtæm.əˈneɪ.ʃən/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /kənˌtæm.əˈneɪ.ʃən/
  • General-American: [kənˌtɛəm.əˈneɪ.ʃən]
  • General-American: [kənˌɾ̃æm.əˈneɪ.ʃən]
  • New-Jersey: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /kənˌtæm.ɪˈnæɪ.ʃən/
  • rhymes with -eɪʃən
  • CMU ARPABET: K AH0 N T AE2 M AH0 N EY1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The act or process of contaminating.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: pollution, defilement, taint

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Something which contaminates.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: adulterant, contaminant, impurity, pollutant, sophisticant, adulterator, contamination, contaminator, pollution, taint

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A process whereby words with related meanings come to have similar sounds.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The influence of one form (often from a foreign language) on the historical development of another form to which it may be related in meaning.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: etymology, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

The intermingling of readings from multiple sources by a copyist.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences, textual-criticism

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

the act of contaminating or polluting; including (either intentionally or accidentally) unwanted substances or factors

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: pollution

Antonyms: decontamination

Broader terms: soiling, soilure, dirtying

Narrower terms: dust contamination

7

noun

Meaning 7

the state of being contaminated

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: taint

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: impurity, impureness

Narrower terms: dust contamination

8

noun

Meaning 8

a substance that contaminates

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: contaminant

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: material, stuff

History

Etymology

From Latin contāminātiōnem.

Across languages

Translations

77 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: تَلْوِيث (talwīṯ) — the act or process of contaminating
  • Arabic: تَلَوُّث (talawwuṯ) — the act or process of contaminating
  • Belarusian: забру́джванне (zabrúdžvannje) — the act or process of contaminating
  • Belarusian: забру́джваньне (zabrúdžvanʹnje) — the act or process of contaminating
  • Belarusian: забрудне́нне (zabrudnjénnje) — the act or process of contaminating
  • Belarusian: забрудне́ньне (zabrudnjénʹnje) — the act or process of contaminating
  • Bulgarian: замърся́ване (zamǎrsjávane) — the act or process of contaminating
  • Catalan: contaminació — the act or process of contaminating
  • Chinese Mandarin: 污染 (wūrǎn) — the act or process of contaminating
  • Czech: znečištění — the act or process of contaminating
  • Czech: kontaminace — the act or process of contaminating
  • Dutch: verontreiniging — the act or process of contaminating
  • Dutch: contaminatie — the act or process of contaminating
  • Esperanto: kontaminado — the act or process of contaminating
  • Esperanto: kontamino — the act or process of contaminating
  • Finnish: saastuminen — the act or process of contaminating
  • Finnish: pilaantuminen — the act or process of contaminating
  • Finnish: saastuttaminen — the act or process of contaminating
  • French: contamination — the act or process of contaminating
  • Georgian: დაბინძურება (dabinʒureba) — the act or process of contaminating
  • Georgian: მოწამვლა (moc̣amvla) — the act or process of contaminating
  • German: Verunreinigung — the act or process of contaminating
  • German: Verseuchung — the act or process of contaminating
  • German: Kontamination — the act or process of contaminating
  • Greek: μόλυνση (mólynsi) — the act or process of contaminating
  • Hebrew: קוֹנְטֶמִינֶצְיָה (konteminátsya) — the act or process of contaminating
  • Hindi: मिलावट (milāvaṭ) — the act or process of contaminating
  • Hungarian: szennyezés — the act or process of contaminating
  • Hungarian: beszennyezés — the act or process of contaminating
  • Hungarian: szennyeződés — the act or process of contaminating
  • Hungarian: beszennyeződés — the act or process of contaminating
  • Hungarian: elszennyeződés — the act or process of contaminating
  • Hungarian: szennyezettség — the act or process of contaminating
  • Hungarian: kontamináció — the act or process of contaminating
  • Hungarian: fertőzöttség — the act or process of contaminating
  • Interlingua: contamination — the act or process of contaminating
  • Italian: contaminazione — the act or process of contaminating
  • Japanese: 汚染 (osen) — the act or process of contaminating
  • Japanese: コンタミネーション (kontaminēshon) — the act or process of contaminating
  • Korean: 오염 (oyeom) — the act or process of contaminating
  • Luxembourgish: Verseuchung — the act or process of contaminating
  • Luxembourgish: Kontaminatioun — the act or process of contaminating
  • Macedonian: загаду́вање (zagadúvanje) — the act or process of contaminating
  • Maltese: kontaminazzjoni — the act or process of contaminating
  • Mongolian: халдвар (xaldvar) — the act or process of contaminating
  • Navajo: iʼniiyą́ą́ʼ — the act or process of contaminating
  • Piedmontese: contaminassion — the act or process of contaminating
  • Dari: آلُودَگِی (ālūdagī) — the act or process of contaminating
  • Iranian Persian: آلودِگی (âludegi) — the act or process of contaminating
  • Polish: skażenie — the act or process of contaminating
  • Portuguese: contaminação — the act or process of contaminating
  • Romanian: contaminare — the act or process of contaminating
  • Russian: загрязне́ние (zagrjaznénije) — the act or process of contaminating
  • Scottish Gaelic: truailleadh — the act or process of contaminating
  • Slovak: znečistenie — the act or process of contaminating
  • Slovak: kontaminácia — the act or process of contaminating
  • Spanish: contaminación — the act or process of contaminating
  • Turkish: bulaşma — the act or process of contaminating
  • Ukrainian: забру́днення (zabrúdnennja) — the act or process of contaminating
  • Catalan: contaminació — a process whereby words with related meanings come to have similar sounds; blend, portmanteau (word)
  • Czech: kontaminace — a process whereby words with related meanings come to have similar sounds; blend, portmanteau (word)
  • Dutch: contaminatie — a process whereby words with related meanings come to have similar sounds; blend, portmanteau (word)
  • Finnish: sanasekauma — a process whereby words with related meanings come to have similar sounds; blend, portmanteau (word)
  • Interlingua: contamination — a process whereby words with related meanings come to have similar sounds; blend, portmanteau (word)
  • Japanese: コンタミネーション (kontaminēshon) — a process whereby words with related meanings come to have similar sounds; blend, portmanteau (word)
  • Macedonian: контамина́ција (kontaminácija) — a process whereby words with related meanings come to have similar sounds; blend, portmanteau (word)
  • Polish: kontaminacja — a process whereby words with related meanings come to have similar sounds; blend, portmanteau (word)
  • Russian: контамина́ция (kontaminácija) — a process whereby words with related meanings come to have similar sounds; blend, portmanteau (word)
  • Ukrainian: контаміна́ція (kontaminácija) — a process whereby words with related meanings come to have similar sounds; blend, portmanteau (word)
  • Dutch: contaminatie — linguistics, etymology: the influence of one form (often from a foreign language) on the historical development of another form to which it may be related in meaning
  • Georgian: კონტამინაცია (ḳonṭaminacia) — linguistics, etymology: the influence of one form (often from a foreign language) on the historical development of another form to which it may be related in meaning
  • Latvian: kontaminēšanās — linguistics, etymology: the influence of one form (often from a foreign language) on the historical development of another form to which it may be related in meaning
  • Latvian: kontaminācija — linguistics, etymology: the influence of one form (often from a foreign language) on the historical development of another form to which it may be related in meaning
  • Polish: kontaminacja — linguistics, etymology: the influence of one form (often from a foreign language) on the historical development of another form to which it may be related in meaning
  • Polish: adideacja — linguistics, etymology: the influence of one form (often from a foreign language) on the historical development of another form to which it may be related in meaning
  • Russian: контамина́ция (kontaminácija) — linguistics, etymology: the influence of one form (often from a foreign language) on the historical development of another form to which it may be related in meaning
  • Ukrainian: контаміна́ція (kontaminácija) — linguistics, etymology: the influence of one form (often from a foreign language) on the historical development of another form to which it may be related in meaning
Real reading context

contamination in complete knowledge articles