Maculate — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically

spot, stain, or pollute

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/mˈækjʊlət/

🇬🇧British English

/mˈakjʊlət/

🇮🇳Indian English

/mˈakjʊlət/

3 syllables Say it as /mˈækjʊlət/.

Examples

The silver was tarnished by the long exposure to the air
Her reputation was sullied after the affair with a married man
The townspeople defiled the river by emptying raw sewage into it

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

stain befoul tarnish sully defile foul defiled

Parts of Speech

verb	make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically “The silver was tarnished by the long exposure to the air”
verb	spot, stain, or pollute “The townspeople defiled the river by emptying raw sewage into it”
adjective	morally blemished; stained or impure
adjective	spotted or blotched

Word Forms

tarnish	noun	discoloration of metal surface caused by oxidation
stain	noun	a symbol of disgrace or infamy; --Genesis
macula	noun	a patch of skin that is discolored but not usually elevated; caused by various diseases
maculation	noun	the act of spotting or staining something
befoulment	noun	the state of being polluted
defilement	noun	the state of being polluted
defiler	noun	a person or organization that causes pollution of the environment

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

makulieren

schmutzig oder fleckig machen, z. B. durch Kontakt mit der Luft; auch metaphorisch verwendet

🇫🇷French

maculé

rendre sale ou tacheté, comme par exposition à l'air ; également utilisé métaphoriquement

🇪🇸Spanish

manchar

ensuciar o manchar, como por exposición al aire; también usado metafóricamente

🇮🇹Italian

maculato

rendere sporco o chiazzato, come per l'esposizione all'aria; usato anche metaforicamente

🇳🇱Dutch

macula

vuil of vlekkerig maken, bijvoorbeeld door blootstelling aan lucht; ook metaforisch gebruikt

🇵🇹Portuguese

macular

tornar sujo ou manchado, como por exposição ao ar; também usado metaforicamente

🇷🇺Russian

пятнистый

сделать грязными или пятнистыми, как от воздействия воздуха; также используется метафорически

India

🇮🇳Hindi

गंदा किया हुआ

गंदा या धब्बेदार बनाना, जैसे कि हवा के संपर्क में आने से; रूपक के रूप में भी प्रयोग किया जाता है

🇧🇩Bengali

ম্যাকুলেট

বাতাসের সংস্পর্শে আসার মতো নোংরা বা দাগযুক্ত করা; রূপকভাবেও ব্যবহার করা হয়েছে

🇮🇳Tamil

மாகுலேட்

காற்றின் வெளிப்பாட்டின் மூலம் அழுக்கு அல்லது புள்ளிகளை உருவாக்குங்கள்; உருவகமாகவும் பயன்படுத்தப்படுகிறது

🇮🇳Telugu

మాక్యులేట్

గాలికి గురికావడం ద్వారా మురికిగా లేదా మచ్చగా చేయండి; రూపకంగా కూడా ఉపయోగిస్తారు

🇮🇳Marathi

मॅक्युलेट

हवेच्या संपर्कात आल्याप्रमाणे गलिच्छ किंवा डागदार बनवा; रूपकात्मक देखील वापरले

🇮🇳Gujarati

મેક્યુલેટ

ગંદા અથવા સ્પોટી બનાવો, જેમ કે હવાના સંપર્કમાં આવવાથી; રૂપક તરીકે પણ વપરાય છે

🇮🇳Kannada

ಮ್ಯಾಕುಲೇಟ್

ಗಾಳಿಗೆ ಒಡ್ಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದರಿಂದ ಕೊಳಕು ಅಥವಾ ಮಚ್ಚೆಯುಂಟು ಮಾಡಿ; ರೂಪಕವಾಗಿಯೂ ಬಳಸಲಾಗಿದೆ

🇮🇳Malayalam

മാക്കുലേറ്റ്

വായുവിൽ സമ്പർക്കം പുലർത്തുന്നത് പോലെ വൃത്തികെട്ടതോ പുള്ളിയോ ഉണ്ടാക്കുക; രൂപകമായും ഉപയോഗിച്ചു

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

斑点状的

因暴露在空气中而变脏或出现斑点；也用来比喻

🇯🇵Japanese

黄斑

空気にさらされるなどして、汚れたり斑点ができたりします。比喩的にも使用される

🇰🇷Korean

반점이 있는

공기에 노출되어 더러워지거나 얼룩이지게 만들다. 은유적으로도 사용됨

🇻🇳Vietnamese

có nhiều vết lốm đốm

làm bẩn hoặc có đốm do tiếp xúc với không khí; cũng được sử dụng một cách ẩn dụ

🇹🇭Thai

คลุกเคล้า

ทำให้สกปรกหรือขาด ๆ หาย ๆ เช่นจากการสัมผัสกับอากาศ ยังใช้เชิงเปรียบเทียบอีกด้วย

🇮🇩Indonesian

melapisi dgn noda

membuat kotor atau berjerawat, seperti akibat terkena udara; juga digunakan secara metaforis

🇲🇾Malay

makula

membuat kotor atau bertompok, seperti oleh pendedahan kepada udara; juga digunakan secara metafora

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

تبقع

جعلها قذرة أو متقطعة، كما هو الحال عند التعرض للهواء؛ تستخدم أيضا بشكل مجازي

🇮🇷Persian

لکه زرد

کثیف یا لکه دار کردن، مانند قرار گرفتن در معرض هوا؛ به صورت استعاری نیز استفاده می شود

🇹🇷Turkish

lekeli

havaya maruz kalmak gibi kirli veya sivilceli hale getirmek; mecazi anlamda da kullanılmış

🇮🇱Hebrew

מקולטה

להפוך מלוכלך או נקודתי, כמו על ידי חשיפה לאוויר; משמש גם באופן מטפורי

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'maculate'?

The primary meaning of 'maculate' is 'make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'maculate' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'maculate' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'maculate' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'maculate' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'maculate' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'maculate' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'maculate' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'maculate' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'maculate' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'maculate' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted