What does adulterise mean?
To adulterise something is to make it impure, weaker, or of poorer quality by mixing in an inferior or foreign substance. The word applies most naturally to consumable products — milk diluted with water, spices stretched with cheaper powders, wine blended with additives — but it can extend figuratively to anything whose integrity has been compromised, from a literary work rewritten beyond recognition to a cultural tradition eroded by commercial pressures. It carries a distinctly negative connotation, implying deception, fraud, or careless degradation rather than honest alteration. In everyday use, however, "adulterise" is relatively rare: most writers reach for the more established synonym "adulterate," which carries identical meaning and appears far more frequently in both British and American English. Where "adulterise" does appear, it typically follows British spelling conventions, with the American variant being "adulterize." The word derives ultimately from the Latin "adulterare," meaning to corrupt or falsify — the same root that gives us "adultery" and "adulteration."
verbTo make something impure or weaker in quality by adding another substance or element, especially food, drink, or a product; to corrupt or debase something.
- To reduce the purity or quality of a substance (especially food, drink, or a commercial product) by adding an inferior or foreign ingredient.
- To corrupt or debase something non-material, such as a language, tradition, or ideal.
"The scandal broke when inspectors discovered the dairy had been adulterising its milk with water and cheaper fats."
"Victorian chemists were hired by local authorities to test whether grocers had been adulterising their flour with chalk."
"Critics complained that the film franchise had been adulterised by studio interference and endless rewrites."
Though it sounds like a cousin of "adultery," this word has nothing to do with marriage — it's about sneaking water into your wine.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of adulterise
"Adulterise" comes from the Latin "adulterare," meaning to corrupt, falsify, or pollute, which itself may derive from "adulter" (one who commits adultery), from "ad-" (toward) plus "alter" (other). The same Latin root produced English "adulterate," "adulteration," and "adultery." The verb was formed with the suffix "-ise/-ize," following the pattern of verbs like "modernise" and "criticise." It remains a less common alternative to "adulterate" in modern English.
How adulterise is actually used
"Adulterise" is considerably less common than "adulterate," which is the standard choice in most registers. The -ise spelling is typical of British English, with -ize appearing in American usage. The word carries a strongly negative connotation of deception or fraud.
Easily confused with adulterise
"Adulterate" is the far more common verb for making something impure by adding inferior substances, while "adulterise" is a rarer variant carrying the same meaning.
"Adultery" refers specifically to voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and someone who is not their spouse, whereas "adulterise" means to make something impure or debased.