Thesaurus

vicious, villainous, iniquitous, nefarious, corrupt, degenerate mean highly reprehensible or offensive in character, nature, or conduct. vicious may directly oppose virtuous in implying moral depravity, or may connote malignancy, cruelty, or destructive violence.

- a vicious gangster

villainous applies to any evil, depraved, or vile conduct or characteristic.

- a villainous assault

iniquitous implies absence of all signs of justice or fairness.

- an iniquitous system of taxation

nefarious suggests flagrant breaching of time-honored laws and traditions of conduct.

- the nefarious rackets of organized crime

corrupt stresses a loss of moral integrity or probity causing betrayal of principle or sworn obligations.

- city hall was rife with corrupt politicians

degenerate suggests having sunk to an especially vicious or enervated condition.

- a degenerate regime propped up by foreign powers

corrupt

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of corrupt

1 to go through decomposition

a dead mouse corrupting in the walls produced a terrible smell

Synonyms of corrupt

break down, decay, decompose, disintegrate, fester, foul, mold, molder, perish [chiefly British], putrefy, rot, spoil

Words Related to corrupt

sour, turn, turn off [British]

contaminate, defile, pollute, taint

addle, curdle, ferment

mortify

rust

crumble, decline, degenerate, descend, deteriorate, dilapidate, sink, wither

Phrases Synonymous with corrupt

fall apart, go to seed (or run to seed)

Near Antonyms of corrupt

age, develop, grow, mature, ripen

refresh, renew, restore

cleanse, purify

assemble, compose, integrate

ameliorate, better, improve, meliorate

2 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 of corrupt

abase, bastardize, canker, cheapen, debase, debauch, degrade, demean, demoralize, deprave, deteriorate, lessen, pervert, poison, profane, prostitute, subvert, vitiate, warp

Words Related to corrupt

befoul, begrime, contaminate, defile, dilute, dirty, pollute, taint, thin, water down, weaken

descend

disgrace, dishonor, humble, humiliate, shame, take down

blemish, damage, deface, destroy, flaw, harm, hurt, impair, mar, ruin, spoil, stain, tarnish, wreck

depreciate, downgrade

Near Antonyms of corrupt

dignify, exalt, honor

ameliorate, amend, better, enhance, enrich, improve, meliorate, perfect

clarify, clean, cleanse, purify, refine, restore

respect

Antonyms of corrupt

elevate, ennoble, uplift

3 to influence someone with a bribe

he bragged about having corrupted half of the officials on the city council

Synonyms of corrupt

bribe, buy, have, pay off, square

Words Related to corrupt

fix, tamper (with)

abase, debase, debauch, defile, degrade, demean, deprave, dishonor, pervert, poison, profane, prostitute, subvert, taint, warp

allure, bait, beguile, entice, lead on, lure, seduce, tempt

motivate, provoke, spur, stimulate

goad, induce

flatter, persuade

snare, trap

Phrases Synonymous with corrupt

get at, grease the hand of (or grease the palm of), oil the hand of (or oil the palm of)

Synonym Discussion of corrupt

debase, vitiate, deprave, corrupt, debauch, pervert mean to cause deterioration or lowering in quality or character. debase implies a loss of position, worth, value, or dignity.