| / English Dictionary |
POLLUTION
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The act of contaminating or polluting; including (either intentionally or accidentally) unwanted substances or factors
Synonyms:
contamination; pollution
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("pollution" is a kind of...):
dirtying; soiling; soilure (the act of soiling something)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "pollution"):
dust contamination (the act of contaminating with dust particles)
Derivation:
pollute (make impure)
Sense 2
Meaning:
The state of being polluted
Synonyms:
befoulment; defilement; pollution
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("pollution" is a kind of...):
dirtiness; uncleanness (the state of being unsanitary)
Derivation:
pollute (make impure)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Undesirable state of the natural environment being contaminated with harmful substances as a consequence of human activities
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("pollution" is a kind of...):
impureness; impurity (the condition of being impure)
environmental condition (the state of the environment)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "pollution"):
biodegradable pollution (pollution that is rendered harmless by natural processes and so causes no permanent harm)
nonbiodegradable pollution (pollution that accumulates in the environment and may appear in the food chain)
air pollution (pollution of the atmosphere)
noise pollution; sound pollution (annoying and potentially harmful environmental noise)
thermal pollution (harm to lakes and rivers resulting from the release of excessive waste heat into them)
water pollution (pollution of the water in rivers and lakes)
Derivation:
pollute (make impure)
Context examples:
A new report from the National Toxicology Program (NTP) suggests that traffic-related air pollution increases a pregnant woman’s risk for dangerous increases in blood pressure, known as hypertension.
(Pregnancy hypertension risk increased by traffic-related air pollution, National Institutes of Health)
It functions as an antioxidant and protects tissues against radiation and pollution, slowing the aging process.
(Cystine, NCI Thesaurus)
Being exposed to tobacco smoke, air pollution, dusts, vapors, and fumes can also cause acute bronchitis.
(Acute Bronchitis, NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
Air pollution is a mixture of solid particles and gases in the air.
(Air Pollution, Environmental Protection Agency)
Many things can cause asthma, including: • Allergens - mold, pollen, animals • Irritants - cigarette smoke, air pollution • Weather - cold air, changes in weather • Exercise • Infections - flu, common cold
(Asthma in Children, NIH)
"Human impacts such as overfishing and pollution lead to changes in reef structure," says Laura Weber of Woods Hole, lead author of the paper.
(Microbes reflect the health of coral reefs, National Science Foundation)
This piece of pollution, picked up from the water-side, to be made much of for an hour, and then tossed back to her original place!
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
Lung disorders may be caused by infection, by smoking tobacco, or by breathing in secondhand tobacco smoke, radon, asbestos, or other forms of air pollution.
(Lung disorder, NCI Dictionary)
The generic term used for a type of air pollution.
(Particulate, NCI Thesaurus)
He noted that global pollution, biodiversity loss, deforestation and land use change, and other human activities are likely to produce unexpected problems as well.
(Planet-Warming Gases Make Some Food Less Nutritious, Study Says, Steve Baragona/VOA)
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