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

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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

Richard Nixon is still seen as one of the worst, most corrupt presidents in American history. — Dustin Desoto, Vox, 30 Oct. 2026 Meanwhile, Democrats are strongly opposed to the kind of corrupt authoritarian government that Republicans seem unwilling to even speak out against. — Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026

Verb

But there’s a difference between drinking before entering the ring once and corrupting bullfighting for years. — Stephen Bates, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026 The original 1971 experiment was conducted by psychology professor Philip Zimbardo, who arbitrarily split volunteers into two groups—inmates and guards—and observed how power corrupted them. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for corrupt

Recent Examples of Synonyms for corrupt

Adjective

Design choices previously thought to boost power, such as widening the gap between electrodes, actually degraded performance under true operating conditions.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2026
Initially, Pike’s attorneys and several death penalty experts raised the possibility that the drugs may have been too old or degraded to work as intended.

— Keri Blakinger, ProPublica, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of degraded

Verb

And speaking of resisting the robots, Joshua Rothman has put together a techy gift guide of gadgets and gizmos that won’t rot brains.

— Caroline Mimbs Nyce, New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2026
The former may be a cesspool that rots our brains and amplifies ethnic hatred, but its dangers don’t compare to the dangers of RSI.

— Sigal Samuel, Vox, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of rot

Verb

With a major election less than a week away, candidates and their consultants are pounding Floridians with a barrage of words — some intended to cast themselves in a flattering light, some intended to smear and degrade their opponents.

— Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026
Faulkner said he is fed up with Citation’s yearslong pattern of degrading his pastures.

— Nick Bowlin, ProPublica, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of degrade

Verb

Gill and Krukoff separately pushed their way into Indigenous communities, bribing or cajoling elders to forage vines and process toxic plant compounds known as curare.

— The New Yorker, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
In exchange, the indictment said, the bettors bribed Beasley — and his debts to Davis were reduced or eliminated.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of bribe

Adjective

Pediatric staff members bring Halloween, Christmas, Easter, New Year’s Eve and even the Tooth Fairy to hospitalized sick kids.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 30 Oct. 2026
Documenting which children grew sickest and following an illness from house to house was a method aimed at articulating an explainable pattern.

— Jim Downs, STAT, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of sick

Verb

Over time, the orbit of the pair can decay, the duo slowly approaching one another.

— Phil Plait, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2026
These showers won’t make their way to Sacramento, but a few passing clouds over the region are expected late morning and early afternoon as the decaying pulse of earlier rain passes.

— Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of decay

Verb

Wachowski’s involvement brings her genre expertise to a film that is said to playfully subvert horror and comedy conventions.

— Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2026
Rendering bugs allowed attackers to subvert the chain of trust UEFI enforces and go on to install malicious components before the OS loaded or Secure Boot ran.

— Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of subvert

Adjective

Serpentine is set in a seemingly quiet New England town where organized crime, crooked cops, buried secrets and the intensely competitive world of figure skating begin to collide.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2026
New York — Down a dim, crooked hallway inside the Jay Street Lofts, a hulking brick relic of Brooklyn’s industrial past, Naomi Mishkin is conducting a radical fashion experiment.

— Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of crooked

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“Corrupt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/corrupt. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of corrupt

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