CORRUPT Synonyms: 193 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'corrupt' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of corrupt are degenerate , iniquitous , nefarious , vicious , and villainous . While all these words mean "highly reprehensible or offensive in character, nature, or conduct," corrupt stresses a loss of moral integrity or probity causing betrayal of principle or sworn obligations. // city hall was rife with corrupt politicians

Q: When might 'degenerate' be a better fit than 'corrupt'?

The meanings of degenerate and corrupt largely overlap; however, degenerate suggests having sunk to an especially vicious or enervated condition. // a degenerate regime propped up by foreign powers

Q: When is 'iniquitous' a more appropriate choice than 'corrupt'?

Although the words iniquitous and corrupt have much in common, iniquitous implies absence of all signs of justice or fairness. // an iniquitous system of taxation

Q: In what contexts can 'nefarious' take the place of 'corrupt'?

The synonyms nefarious and corrupt are sometimes interchangeable, but nefarious suggests flagrant breaching of time-honored laws and traditions of conduct. // the nefarious rackets of organized crime

Q: When would 'vicious' be a good substitute for 'corrupt'?

While in some cases nearly identical to corrupt , vicious may directly oppose virtuous in implying moral depravity, or may connote malignancy, cruelty, or destructive violence. // a vicious gangster

Q: When can 'villainous' be used instead of 'corrupt'?

While the synonyms villainous and corrupt are close in meaning, villainous applies to any evil, depraved, or vile conduct or characteristic. // a villainous assault

corrupt 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of corrupt

as in degraded

having or showing lowered moral character or standards corrupt businessmen who are out to fleece the public corrupt business practices that should be investigated

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

corrupt

2 of 2

verb

kə-ˈrəpt

as in to rot

to go through decomposition a dead mouse corrupting in the walls produced a terrible smell

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to degrade

to lower in character, dignity, or quality some observers believe that grossly violent movies corrupt the people who watch them as well as the people who make them

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to bribe

to influence someone with a bribe he bragged about having corrupted half of the officials on the city council

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective corrupt differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of corrupt are degenerate, iniquitous, nefarious, vicious, and villainous. While all these words mean "highly reprehensible or offensive in character, nature, or conduct," corrupt stresses a loss of moral integrity or probity causing betrayal of principle or sworn obligations.

city hall was rife with corrupt politicians

When might degenerate be a better fit than corrupt?

The meanings of degenerate and corrupt largely overlap; however, degenerate suggests having sunk to an especially vicious or enervated condition.

a degenerate regime propped up by foreign powers

When is iniquitous a more appropriate choice than corrupt?

Although the words iniquitous and corrupt have much in common, iniquitous implies absence of all signs of justice or fairness.

an iniquitous system of taxation

In what contexts can nefarious take the place of corrupt?

The synonyms nefarious and corrupt are sometimes interchangeable, but nefarious suggests flagrant breaching of time-honored laws and traditions of conduct.

the nefarious rackets of organized crime

When would vicious be a good substitute for corrupt?

While in some cases nearly identical to corrupt, vicious may directly oppose virtuous in implying moral depravity, or may connote malignancy, cruelty, or destructive violence.

a vicious gangster

When can villainous be used instead of corrupt?

While the synonyms villainous and corrupt are close in meaning, villainous applies to any evil, depraved, or vile conduct or characteristic.

a villainous assault

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of corrupt

Adjective

Those who remain and continue to support the most corrupt administration in our nation's history are here, wishing for our bakery to burn to the ground. — Natassia Paloma, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026 How far is too far to see justice served, especially when the system set up to decide these things is corrupt and broken? — Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 8 Sep. 2026

Verb

The difference with those films is that all those guys came in corrupted by something or had something mentally going on. — Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Sep. 2026 There, Prue must go on a journey to save her younger brother Mac from crows led by a woman named Alexandra (Carey Mulligan), who captures Curtis and attempts to corrupt him for her own mysterious purposes. — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 19 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for corrupt

Recent Examples of Synonyms for corrupt

Adjective

Energy analysts have consistently cautioned that raising Venezuelan output meaningfully will take years and billions of dollars in repairs to degraded infrastructure.

— Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026
That matters because degraded land is not simply an environmental concern.

— Shooka Bidarian, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of degraded

Verb

Flies buzz over the rotting carcass, which is riven by claw marks so unnaturally deep that no one can determine whomauledit.

— Justin Chang, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026
They shouldn’t be stored below 45 degrees because chilling can cause internal damage and eventually contribute to breakdown and rot, explains Gregorie.

— Lynn Andriani, Martha Stewart, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of rot

Verb

As industries increasingly operate equipment in extreme thermal and demanding environments, optical components must withstand conditions that can quickly degrade conventional materials.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2026
When a critical resource of a larger system is categorized as interchangeable, the company triggers savings logic that, in pursuit of lower prices, degrades quality.

— Mindaugas Čaplinskas, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of degrade

Verb

Joseph Livreri and his brother Anthony Livreri pleaded guilty to conspiracy and bribery after being charged with bribing a former New York City buildings commissioner who was part of Eric Adams' Democratic administration.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Sep. 2026
The country’s largest wine and spirits distributor has entered into an agreement with federal prosecutors to resolve allegations that its executives and employees bribed alcohol retailers for favorable placement of certain products.

— Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of bribe

Adjective

As the years go by, babies are born, parents get sick and die, careers are started then ended, wives and husbands are thwarted, and, eventually, sheets are strewn and booties are tapped.

— Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2026
Last August, more than 360 people recently got sick after eating free MBG school lunches in Sragen, Central Java.

— Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of sick

Verb

The book takes on the form of a journal by Utsugi, an aging patriarch, who, recovering from a stroke, discovers that while his body is decaying, his libido rages on.

— Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2026
Some detest the compost odor; others say decaying food attracts rats.

— Emily Staunton, Christian Science Monitor, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of decay

Verb

Bangladeshi cinema has been equally insistent on subverting patriarchal stereotypes.

— Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026
The film’s procedural aspect ticks along just fine, holding the attention without subverting expectations, and carried by actors who, much like the detectives in this case, are ultra-capable professionals with no inclination to go rogue on us.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of subvert

Adjective

An incoming generation, simply by their existence, dislodged a crooked anxiety that the new face of Asian America is Wasian.

— E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026
Under Mitchell, Pecora showed, the nation’s largest bank had become an impeccably groomed racketeering enterprise, dressing up crooked enterprises as gilt-edged to sell their bonds and stocks to unsuspecting buyers.

— Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of crooked

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corrugations

corrupt

corrupted

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“Corrupt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/corrupt. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of corrupt

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verb

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