Maculate (Verb)
Meaning 1
Spot, stain, or pollute; "The townspeople defiled the river by emptying raw sewage into it".
Classification
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc..
Examples
- The chemical plant was fined for its negligence in letting toxic waste maculate the nearby lake.
- The tourists were scolded for littering and thereby threatening to maculate the otherwise pristine beach.
- Due to the oil spill, the wildlife reserve began to maculate the local ecosystem.
- Pollution continues to maculate the world's oceans at an alarming rate.
- Industrial runoff was found to maculate the drinking water supply, posing serious health risks to residents.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Related Words
Meaning 2
Make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically; "The silver was tarnished by the long exposure to the air"; "Her reputation was sullied after the affair with a married man".
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- The once pristine marble was maculate and stained after years of exposure to the polluted city air.
- Her spotless reputation was maculate by the scandal surrounding her former business partner.
- The corruption allegations began to maculate the politician's previously untarnished image.
- The air pollution in the city had maculate the gleaming metal surfaces of the new skyscrapers.
- The politician's scandalous affair had maculate the family's otherwise spotless reputation.