# contamination

/kənˌtæməˈneɪʃən/ (US) · /kəntˌæmɪnˈeɪʃən/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/contamination
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. pollution or dirt

noun · CEFR B2

the state of being dirty or dangerous because of chemicals, bacteria, or other harmful things.

For teachers: the presence of an unwanted constituent or impurity in a material, physical body, or natural environment.

- The city warned residents about the contamination of the local water supply after the flood.
- Environmental scientists detected significant chemical contamination in the soil samples collected near the decommissioned industrial site.

### 2. linguistic blending

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

when two words with similar meanings influence each other and change their sounds or forms.

For teachers: the process by which the form of one word is altered through the influence of another related word.

- The word 'female' changed its spelling because of contamination from the word 'male'.
- Historical linguists often cite contamination as the primary driver for irregular morphological changes in closely related lexical sets.

### 3. mixing of texts

noun · CEFR C2 · Academic · Formal

when a person copying an old book mixes parts from different versions together.

For teachers: the intermingling of readings from multiple manuscript sources by a copyist, resulting in a hybrid text.

- The ancient poem exists in several versions due to the contamination of different manuscripts.
- The editor faced the difficult task of identifying textual contamination where the scribe had clearly consulted two distinct traditions simultaneously.

## Examples

- The city warned residents about the contamination of the local river.
- Strict laboratory protocols are necessary to prevent the contamination of blood samples with outside bacteria.
- Environmental scientists are currently assessing the long-term effects of soil contamination caused by the industrial runoff from the abandoned factory site.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.