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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
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
2
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
3
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of corrupt
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2026
For example, my group, Seismic Resistance, a political action committee formed by eight passionate individuals, seeks to support grassroots movements by exposing and dismantling false patriotism and corrupt leadership through bold action and unwavering truth.
—Leslie Hoyle Guerra, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2026
ABC News, 4 Jan. 2026
Trump has thoroughly corrupted the Justice Department, but its selective prosecutions of his foes have been thwarted by judges and, more strikingly, by grand juries.
—Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for corrupt
Adjective
As was mentioned in your editorial, the Broward school district has been incompetently managed, wasteful and corrupt for years.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2026
For example, my group, Seismic Resistance, a political action committee formed by eight passionate individuals, seeks to support grassroots movements by exposing and dismantling false patriotism and corrupt leadership through bold action and unwavering truth.
—Leslie Hoyle Guerra, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2026
Verb
And Maduro, both, Juan Orlando Hernandez, were accused of prolific drug trafficking, enriching themselves, corrupting their country, and allowing violence and danger to flourish.
—ABC News, 4 Jan. 2026
Trump has thoroughly corrupted the Justice Department, but its selective prosecutions of his foes have been thwarted by judges and, more strikingly, by grand juries.
—Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for corrupt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for corrupt
Adjective
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Two meetings will be hosted this month for public input on a proposal to restore a degraded estuary in South Laguna at Aliso Creek.—
Erika I. Ritchie,
Oc Register,
8 Jan. 2026
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Loyola Marymount University professor Demian Willette uses it to better understand how micro-forests take up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, contribute to local biodiversity and help restore degraded land.—
Emily Kwong,
NPR,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Politically, the regime has rotted from within, discarding, discrediting, or detaining its own kind.—
Robin Wright,
New Yorker,
13 Jan. 2026
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That includes money to replace a lot of wood that rotted away due to holes in the roof and walls.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
This structure can diffract light and degrade image quality.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Jan. 2026
-
At 40, he was tasked with restoring order to a dysfunctional Philadelphia Eagles team whose culture degraded during a chaotic 2020 season.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Either that or the wrong people had been bribed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
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Additionally, Langan, the former CEO who owns a home near Central City, and several other RCI executives are facing criminal charges in New York for allegedly bribing an auditor there in exchange for lucrative tax breaks.—
Justin Wingerter,
Denver Post,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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This leaves a sicker risk pool behind and drives premiums even higher for those who remain.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Humans who have prolonged close contact with sick or dead birds infected with HPAI are the most at risk of becoming infected.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In essence, this would mean that alpha particles (helium nuclei) released by decaying uranium (or some other fissile material) would be focused through engine nozzles to generate thrust.—
Matthew S Williams,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Jan. 2026
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While many have decayed, some have been lovingly restored, such as Palermo’s Neo-Gothic Palazzo Alliata di Pietratagliata, which has remained in the same family since the 15th century.—
Rosalyn Wikeley,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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And her co-stars—Jacob Elordi as a brooding Heathcliff, Alison Oliver as an angelic Isabella Linton, Hong Chau as a steely Nelly Dean, and Shazad Latif as a swaggering Edgar Linton—would also be subverting our expectations.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
10 Jan. 2026
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By delegitimizing the Islamic Republic as an occupying force—one that plunders national wealth to subsidize regional proxies—the opposition has effectively subverted the regime’s nationalist rhetoric.—
Karim Sadjadpour,
The Atlantic,
10 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Willms plans to call the Bureau of Land Management — the agency that oversees these parcels of federal land — to report the crooked stake.—
Christine Peterson,
Outdoor Life,
7 Jan. 2026
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Begin by removing any suckers at the base of the tree, side shoots on the trunk, crossing or crooked branches, dead or damaged branches, those that are growing inward, and crowded branches.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
31 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Corrupt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/corrupt. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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