1
as in decomposing
to go through decomposition
a dead mouse corrupting in the walls produced a terrible smell
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in degrading
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
3
as in bribing
to influence someone with a bribe
he bragged about having corrupted half of the officials on the city council
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Recent Examples of corrupting
An early discussion about social contracts comes down to us in Plato’s dialogue Crito in which Socrates, condemned to death for allegedly corrupting the youth, refused an offer to escape from prison.
—
George G. Szpiro, Big Think, 9 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, the Pima County Sheriff Office investigating Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance is facing troubles of its own, as a former sheriff has accused current leadership of ‘corrupting’ the crime scene, and a deputy has been arrested and fired on a kidnapping charge.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
For Hildegard of Bingen, the German mystic, scientist, composer, and philosopher, women’s maternal bodies were not corrupting and degrading, but strong, nurturing, and creative.
—Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
Richard Pazdur, a longtime cancer drug regulator, retired from the CDER director post in December due to concerns that political officials were corrupting the agency’s scientific process.
—Lizzy Lawrence, STAT, 6 Mar. 2026
In this way at least, the mayor follows in the path of Socrates by corrupting the young.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
But now, federal prosecutors say Hennen is the fixer behind the biggest point-shaving scandal in history, accused of bribing 39 college players, corrupting 17 programs and fixing — or trying fix — 29 games to enrich himself and other gamblers.
—Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 26 Jan. 2026
Blakeney then recruited other players on the team, corrupting the integrity of games, according to the indictment.
—Paulina Dedaj , Ryan Morik , Andrew Fone, FOXNews.com, 15 Jan. 2026
Achim Kempf, the Chair for Physics of Information and AI in the Department of Applied Mathematics, and Koji Yamaguchi, then a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Waterloo, co-discovered a method to copy quantum information without corrupting it.
—Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 7 Jan. 2026
George G. Szpiro, Big Think, 9 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, the Pima County Sheriff Office investigating Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance is facing troubles of its own, as a former sheriff has accused current leadership of ‘corrupting’ the crime scene, and a deputy has been arrested and fired on a kidnapping charge.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
For Hildegard of Bingen, the German mystic, scientist, composer, and philosopher, women’s maternal bodies were not corrupting and degrading, but strong, nurturing, and creative.
—Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
Richard Pazdur, a longtime cancer drug regulator, retired from the CDER director post in December due to concerns that political officials were corrupting the agency’s scientific process.
—Lizzy Lawrence, STAT, 6 Mar. 2026
In this way at least, the mayor follows in the path of Socrates by corrupting the young.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
But now, federal prosecutors say Hennen is the fixer behind the biggest point-shaving scandal in history, accused of bribing 39 college players, corrupting 17 programs and fixing — or trying fix — 29 games to enrich himself and other gamblers.
—Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 26 Jan. 2026
Blakeney then recruited other players on the team, corrupting the integrity of games, according to the indictment.
—Paulina Dedaj , Ryan Morik , Andrew Fone, FOXNews.com, 15 Jan. 2026
Achim Kempf, the Chair for Physics of Information and AI in the Department of Applied Mathematics, and Koji Yamaguchi, then a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Waterloo, co-discovered a method to copy quantum information without corrupting it.
—Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 7 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for corrupting
Verb
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D4vd’s parents are coming to his defense after the platinum-selling singer was arrested Thursday on suspicion of murdering Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the 14-year-old girl found dismembered and decomposing in the trunk of his Tesla seven months ago.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
17 Apr. 2026
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The decomposing body of the teenage girl was found in the trunk of Burke’s abandoned Tesla last September, a day after her 15th birthday.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Painting can be a dramatic transformation, but the changes are often irreversible without incurring high costs or degrading property.—
Abby Wolner,
Better Homes & Gardens,
21 Apr. 2026
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The situation has caused a pile-on of speculation and allegations—including from some of its competitors—that the company is purposely degrading performance owing to a lack of compute capacity.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In 2017, Lee was convicted of bribing then-president Park Geun-hye with almost $8 million to gain her support for a merger.—
Natasha O'Neill,
Vanity Fair,
16 Apr. 2026
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And after CLEAResult fired Darlington in 2017, the brothers began bribing CLEAResult employee Peter Marra — sending him cash and gift cards for special favors like getting heads-ups on inspections and audits.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The meteor was moving southwest at 30,000 miles per hour and traveled 117 miles through the upper atmosphere before disintegrating 27 miles above the town of Galloway north of Atlantic City, New Jersey, according to NASA.—
Kate Perez,
USA Today,
8 Apr. 2026
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Last year, the Dominican Republic deported more than 100,000 Haitians back to their disintegrating country.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Buddy embraces the aesthetic of classic children’s television —complete with catchy songs and familiar tropes — before subverting it with a relentless descent into madness.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
23 Apr. 2026
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Hoja has been subverting confident authorities for at least seven centuries, while refusing to be pinned down, even as a hero.—
Perin Gürel,
The Conversation,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Nate plays his older neighbors like a fiddle, seducing them with his beauty, money, and youth.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2026
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On the left, he’s heralded as the only voice capable of seducing young men disaffected by party politics.—
Abigail Sylvor Greenberg,
Vanity Fair,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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There was nothing quaint about the making of Apocalypse Now, for which Tavoularis created a nightmarish jungle kingdom with a decaying temple — inspired by the ancient Angkor Wat in Cambodia — as its centerpiece.—
Mike Barnes,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Apr. 2026
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By removing the decaying cells created by the high-salt diet, the drug allowed the remaining healthy tissue to maintain its elasticity and respond correctly to blood flow demands.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Natural Ways to Get Rid of Onion Grass These invasive weeds are fast-growing and rob your grass of water, nutrients, and sunlight, weakening your garden over time, says Brian Feldman, senior director of technical operations at TruGreen.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
26 Apr. 2026
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Muscle loss and bone weakening Numerous studies have documented that rapid weight loss from Ozempic and other medications can cause significant muscle loss, especially in people who don’t increase their protein intake.—
Cindy Krischer Goodman,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Corrupting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/corrupting. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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