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

Other techniques preserve file extensions, manipulate time stamps, corrupt headers and suppress the entropy and encryption changes to evade detection tools. — Jim McGann, Forbes.com, 5 Nov. 2026 Many progressives, led by Bernie Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont, also believe that a global oligarchy poses a threat to democracy and see big business in defense, technology, and finance as part of a corrupt system. — Thomas Wright, Foreign Affairs, 3 Nov. 2026

Verb

At every stop, Talarico has argued that, for too long, the wealthy and their donations have corrupted politics, and that this corruption has fueled the affordability crisis. — Steven Sloan, Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2026 And that includes his warning that TV news has been corrupted by the agendas of the powerful, wealthy billionaires who now control a large portion of the media. — Michael Schneider, Variety, 26 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

This realistic artificial harvest pack will never rot and is great for accenting a dinner table or place setting, adding a festive flair to any occasion.

— BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 5 Nov. 2026
Don’t mound mulch up against the base of shrubs, flowers, and trees, or pests, rot, and fungus can become an issue.

— Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of rot

Verb

Neither of those seats was a Democratic target at the start of this election cycle, but both races saw later investment as the environment appeared to degrade for Republicans.

— David Weigel, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2026
The experiments will test whether the reactor’s exhaust system can endure the punishment of such high-performance plasma without degrading.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 4 Nov. 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

Ahead of Wednesday night’s game against the Buffalo Sabres, Ridly Greig was nursing his own lower-body injury, and Tyler Kleven was too sick to play.

— Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 5 Nov. 2026
The state’s health department cautions that the true number is most certainly higher because not everyone who gets sick seeks medical care.

— Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of sick

Verb

One thing that decaying wood releases is carbon, which is part of the natural process that stabilizes climates in the long-term.

— Pamm Cooper, Hartford Courant, 8 Nov. 2026
It will be powered by a Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG) reactor, which relies on heat generated by a decaying nuclear isotope, and so does not rely on solar power for energy.

— Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Nov. 2026

Definition of decay

Verb

With the industry-wide chain-of-trust mechanism subverted, the malware was able to run malicious code before Windows was fully loaded and many security defenses were operational.

— Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 3 Nov. 2026
Liu had the idea to subvert his parents’ roles after finding his father’s wedding suit from 1984.

— Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of subvert

Adjective

The wings were awkward and ugly, tipped with crooked, writhing little hands, the outstretched skin loose and shivering between its fingers.

— Téa Obreht, New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2026
When a job goes wrong and Viktor is seriously hurt, Malina cuts a deal with a crooked doctor.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 31 Oct. 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 12 Nov. 2026.

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