the act or process of contaminating or the state of being contaminated
2.
something that contaminates
3. linguistics
the process by which one word or phrase is altered because of mistaken associations with another word or phrase; for example, the substitution of irregardless for regardless by association with such words as irrespective
contamination in American English
(kənˌtæməˈneɪʃən)
noun
1.
a contaminating or being contaminated
2.
something that contaminates
Word origin
ME contaminacioun < L contaminatio
Examples of 'contamination' in a sentence
contamination
Fears were also increasing about food contamination.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Everyone was satisfied the results were caused by food contamination.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The tricky task now is to use a food contamination scandal to improve the way the company deals with its suppliers.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
There were obvious risks and judges in similar circumstances had to be aware of that and careful to avoid contamination of the proceedings.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
All the equipment was sterilised to avoid any contamination; all the chemicals used to remove impurities were specially filtered.
Deborah Cadbury THE LOST KING OF FRANCE: Revolution, Revenge and the Search for Louis XVII (2002)
My hope is that this book will not just highlight the dangers of food contamination but will be the spur to bring about real change.
Lashford, Stephanie The Residue Report - an action plan for safer food (1988)
Having these generic structures for dealing with the incident helped, but there was no national protocol for dealing with radioactive contamination.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
For any person who wants to avoid environmentally induced illness, it is necessary to understand the sources of such chemical contamination of the food supply.
Randolph, Theron G. & Moss, Ralph W. (contributor) An Alternative Approach to Allergies (1990)
Proving food contamination is virtually impossible, especially when you can't name the supplier of the beef.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Retailers and manufacturers have introduced more testing on products and checks on the supply chain, but there is still widespread contamination of processed foods and takeaway meals.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Synonyms of 'contamination'
pollution, dirtying, infection, corruption
More Synonyms of contamination
(noun)
Acid rain is responsible for the destruction of forests and the contamination of rivers and streams.
Synonyms
pollution
environmental pollution
dirtying
infection
Ear infections are common in pre-school children.
corruption
The corruption of the body is an unavoidable feature of old age.
poisoning
decay
taint
filth
tons of filth and sewage
impurity
The soap is boiled to remove all traces of impurity.
contagion
They have been reluctant to admit patients with the disease because of fears of contagion.
adulteration
foulness
defilement
radioactivation
Additional synonyms
in the sense of contagion
Definition
a corrupting influence that tends to spread
They have been reluctant to admit patients with the disease because of fears of contagion.
Synonyms
contamination,
infection,
corruption,
pollution,
taint
in the sense of corruption
Definition
the process of rotting or decaying
The corruption of the body is an unavoidable feature of old age.