fouled

Made messy, polluted

Fouled is the past tense of foul, meaning something became dirty, tangled, or obstructed.

A rope fouls when it tangles; machinery fouls when debris clogs it.

In sports, a player who fouled committed an illegal action: He fouled out in the fourth quarter.

Something fouled up has gone wrong through error or malfunction: The whole system got fouled up.

contaminated

polluted

Made impure by contaminants

taintedContaminated, made impure
toxicCapable of causing harm
poisonedMade toxic intentionally

contaminated · infected · spoiled · corrupted · defiled · impure · blighted · degraded · adulterated · hazardous

sports

penalty

Punishment for wrongdoing

infractionMinor rule breach
violationBreaking of rules
flagrantShockingly conspicuous and wrong

technical · personal · charging · holding · tripping · interference · unsportsmanlike · ejection · whistle · referee

obstructed

clogged

Blocked by buildup

blockedPassage prevented or impeded
jammedUnable to move freely
tangledTwisted confusedly together

snarled · obstructed · congested · choked · impeded · plugged · gunked · matted · knotted · ensnared

nautical

anchor

Secures ships to seabed

lineContinuous mark or queue
ropeThick twisted fibers
propellerRotating blades creating thrust

chain · rigging · mooring · entangled · snagged · wrapped · kedge · hawser · cable · buoy

Categories

taintedtainted, contaminated, corrupted, polluted, poisoned
cleanlinessclean, cleanliness, clean up, dirty, neatness
nautical termsahoy, afloat, aye aye, aye-aye, becalmed

Opposites

cleanliness/contamination

fouledclean

Free of soil

pure · purified · pristine · uncontaminated · immaculate

entanglement (nautical/mechanical)

fouledclear

Without obstruction or fog

untangled · free · cleared · unobstructed · disentangled

sportsmanship/rule compliance

fouledfair

Impartial and unbiased

clean · legal · legitimate · proper · sportsmanlike

Phrases

foul playCriminal or violent action
foul upSpoil by mishandling
foul mood
party foulsGathering etiquette violations
foul languageObscene or vulgar speech
foul lineBoundary marking violations

Family

foul, fouls, foulness, befoul, fouling, fouler, foulest, afoul, fouled up

Familiarity: Top 100,000
Profile: Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Negative · Everyday, not technical · Rated G