noun · neutral
pollutant
/pəˈluːtənt/po·LU·tant
Band 5-6speakingtask2
a substance that makes land, water, or air dirty and unsafe
Examples
“Factories released several pollutants into the river last year.”
“Doctors warned that airborne pollutants were linked to asthma in children.”
“We need filters to reduce the level of pollutants from traffic.”
Band 8 sentence
“Regulators must target the most toxic pollutants first, because reducing those yields the biggest health benefits.”
Collocations
- release pollutants
- air/water pollutants
- reduce pollutants
Word family
pollute verbpolluting adj
Common mistakes
pollution→pollutants
many pollutant→many pollutants
Say it for a higher band
5pollution→6contaminant→7+pollutant
Synonyms
contaminant
Easily confused
pollution
“Plastic waste contributes to ocean pollution.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Environment & Climate
Learn it with its set