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

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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

Cox, working like a shoestring Peckinpah, sets up Strindler against the crooks who run the border town — the corrupt mayor and sheriff and a wealthy rancher. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 15 Aug. 2026 All of this is in keeping with what has become the most corrupt administration in American history. — Casey Michel, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2026

Verb

The judge also said that Nine PBS must find a third party, such as a former OSS worker, who can help retrieve the data within 30 days and without sharing or corrupting data belonging to other OSS clients. — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2026 Schumer has been corrupted absolutely in his quest for power. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for corrupt

Recent Examples of Synonyms for corrupt

Adjective

And degraded plastic presents a worse environmental issue than muddy grass.

— Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 11 Aug. 2026
After carefully selecting specimens with reliable dates and locations, the team extracted DNA using techniques designed for highly degraded historical samples.

— Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of degraded

Verb

City leaders have accused Lineage, whose warehouse in Boyle Heights was destroyed by fire, of blowing past the city’s 45-day deadline for removing millions of pounds of rotting food from its property.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026
Too thick a mulch layer can cause these normally smaller plants to remain wet and rot.

— Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of rot

Verb

Iran is unlikely to give up the leverage offered by having proxies spread across the region, even if some of them have been degraded by Israel or lost a foothold thanks to regime change, as is the case in Syria.

— Tim Lister, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
But now, Wright says Wendy’s has drifted from some of those qualities, telling investors that decisions made in the interest of cost and efficiency had degraded some of the food quality that set the chain apart.

— Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of degrade

Verb

The incidents continued back in Maryland, including outside a Chipotle, where Garcia allegedly tried to bribe the victim to touch himself in exchange for food.

— Bryan Lynn, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
At a press conference Thursday afternoon, LeVota denied the allegations but identified Legislator DaRon McGee as the candidate that federal prosecutors are accusing LeVota of bribing.

— Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of bribe

Adjective

Between 60% and 70% of new Ebola cases are being detected among people who were not already being monitored as contacts, meaning health workers may only discover infections after patients become sick and have had opportunities to expose others.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026
News host had brain surgery to remove a tumor, her mother got diagnosed with brain cancer, her younger brother, Peter, suffered injuries from a car accident, and her father got very sick a week before her wedding.

— Diane J. Cho, PEOPLE, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of sick

Verb

Researchers can look for this signal by measuring the average vertical direction of the positrons produced when the muons decay.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 15 Aug. 2026
The new owners took over the keys to a tired and decaying club in the spring and have since overseen a summer renovation that has stretched from assembling a new first-team squad to restoring hot water to Hillsborough.

— Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of decay

Verb

Laws and elections can quickly shift the balance of power in the game, and the rules can be subverted or twisted to your advantage through the deft deployment of crushing bureaucracy.

— Alan Bradley, Space.com, 14 Aug. 2026
That's because when the stakes are high, and the actors begin to cry, the serious tone begs to be subverted by a humorous caption.

— Owen Carry, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of subvert

Adjective

The rule also failed to tackle all of the ways trusts and other vehicles provide impenetrable secrecy for the wealthy and the crooked alike.

— Casey Michel, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2026
In Salinger’s narrative, Pencey is plagued by a population of troubled youth, crooked teachers, and spoiled rich kids, a mixture that often begat abuse.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 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 20 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of corrupt

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