A foreign substance that makes something dirty, or impure, especially waste from human activities.
Used in a Sentence
pollutant
Definition, parts of speech, synonyms, and sentence examples for pollutant.
Editorial note
By the same token high concentrations of anything are harmful but nobody is going to call water a pollutant.
Examples15
Definitions1
Parts of speech1
Quick take
A foreign substance that makes something dirty, or impure, especially waste from human activities.
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of pollutant gathered in one view.
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for pollutant.
noun
A foreign substance that makes something dirty, or impure, especially waste from human activities.
Example sentences
By the same token high concentrations of anything are harmful but nobody is going to call water a pollutant.
Also note that the car in question, the Ford Focus, is one of the least pollutant gasoline cars out there.
Even if you consider carbon dioxide as a pollutant (as the EPA does), it's in a bit different class than mercury.
Wood smoke is a very serious pollutant, which in quantity would blacken the sky.
Technically speaking, carbon dioxide, which is what I assume you refer to by carbon pollution, is not a pollutant.
This is even before we get into ecology - most modern energy sources are highly pollutant (oil/coal).
If you source this statistic [1], you find it's contrived to compare one pollutant (sulfur) which auto fuels in particular contain extremely little of.
Well depending on rate it can be a pollutant or not.
Disclaimer: I participated in research of lake sediments looking for insights about metal pollutant trends.
CO2 is also not a pollutant, never was, never will!
Of itself it's not a long-term persistent atmospheric pollutant.
CO2 is not a simple pollutant that in trace quantities causes harm, which we can almost completely delete with semi-trivial changes in tech.
Quote examples
It's not surprise that "pollution" refers to anything other than CO2, it's surprise that "pollution" refers to one specific pollutant and no others.
You see, is like a paper claiming that "bikes are more pollutant than cars".
The first and foremost "pollutant" source of environmental damage and degradation are humans.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use pollutant in a sentence?
By the same token high concentrations of anything are harmful but nobody is going to call water a pollutant.
What does pollutant mean?
A foreign substance that makes something dirty, or impure, especially waste from human activities.
What part of speech is pollutant?
pollutant is commonly used as noun.