polluting

adjective

pol·​lut·​ing pə-ˈlü-tiŋ How to pronounce polluting (audio)
: causing pollution
… a region that has been dependent upon basic industries such as coal mining and metal work—relatively polluting industries.Patricia L. Layman
The recycling process itself can be polluting. Recyclers find it difficult to separate recyclable from nonrecyclable plastics, which causes the end product to be useless.Sally Hayhow Cullen

Examples of polluting in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Reducing peak demand can also help avoid turning on older, more polluting fossil-fuel generators. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 14 July 2025 With a looming spike in power demand and pressure to meet that demand, advocates fear utilities could turn to highly polluting fuels. Connor Giffin, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025 The International Maritime Organization (IMO), a UN body that regulates global shipping, approved new regulations to cut greenhouse gas emissions across the maritime sector—one of the most polluting and least regulated industries on Earth. Ingmar Rentzhog, Forbes.com, 12 Apr. 2025 And many have been dismayed by the administration’s encouragement of new fossil fuel development, including of coal, arguably the most polluting power source in terms of both air quality and carbon emissions. Stephanie Hanes, Christian Science Monitor, 11 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for polluting

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of polluting was in 1598

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Cite this Entry

“Polluting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/polluting. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.

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