Meaning 1
Free from a substance that would make something harmful or impure.
Reach for it when Confirming the safety or purity of water, food, soil, or a sample.
Tests showed that the spring remained uncontaminated after the fuel spill.
Meaning 2
Unaffected by outside material that could distort a result.
Reach for it when Describing evidence, data, or a process protected from unwanted influence.
The sealed control group supplied uncontaminated data for comparison.
| Meaning 1 | Meaning 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| everyday | ||
| warm | ||
| professional |
| |
| formal |
| |
| literary |
everyday
Fits when ordinary safety or absence of dirt is enough
Not when does not identify freedom from a specific contaminant
warm
Fits when natural or compositional purity matters
Not when can overpromise laboratory-grade purity
professional
sanitary
Fits when hygienic conditions are the concern
Not when something sanitary may contain harmless additives
professional
Fits when evidence retains its intended validity
Not when does not specify the route of possible distortion
formal
Fits when a source stands apart from the tested influence
Not when independence alone does not prevent contamination
literary
Fits when outside influence has not spoiled integrity
Not when can carry moral overtones absent from data
uncontaminated water
The filter reserve guaranteed uncontaminated water for the clinic.
uncontaminated sample
A technician collected an uncontaminated sample upstream.
uncontaminated evidence
Independent storage preserved uncontaminated evidence for the appeal.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Flame, not lame, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC0 Updated
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