Adulterate

medium

uh-DUL-tuh-rayt

verb

Definition

To make something poorer in quality by adding another substance

Examples

The company was fined for adulterating their products.
Cheap imitations often adulterate the original design.

Synonyms

contaminatecorruptdebasetaint

Antonyms

purifyrefinecleansedistill

Categories

GRE Tip

Adulterate is a medium-difficulty GRE word. On the GRE, you might see it paired with synonyms like "contaminate" or "corrupt" in Sentence Equivalence questions. Look for contrast clues (however, despite, although) that signal the opposite meaning. Words like "purify".

Related GRE Words

Master adulterate and 800+ GRE words

Learn through stories, practice with real GRE questions, and never forget with spaced repetition.