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
1
as in to rot
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 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
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
as in corruption
a sinking to a state of low moral standards and behavior
such corruptness in government threatens our democratic institutions
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of corrupt
Betsy McCaughey, Boston Herald, 18 May 2025
In yet another settlement, Leonard Gipson could receive $1.2 million after being sentenced to four years in prison after a corrupt police officer allegedly planted drugs on him twice.
—Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 15 May 2025
The Editors, National Review, 29 Apr. 2025
And the disease was a politics that was corrupted by the most powerful in our society: billionaires and oligarchs and corporate CEOs.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for corrupt
Adjective
Seeking national injunctions has been their most corrupt weapon.
—Betsy McCaughey, Boston Herald, 18 May 2025
In yet another settlement, Leonard Gipson could receive $1.2 million after being sentenced to four years in prison after a corrupt police officer allegedly planted drugs on him twice.
—Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 15 May 2025
Verb
Although Harvard is an institution that has been corrupted by politics and would be well served to voluntarily adopt most of Trump’s demands on it, the university has a good shot at prevailing in a legal fight on the grounds that Trump failed to follow the necessary statutory process.
—The Editors, National Review, 29 Apr. 2025
And the disease was a politics that was corrupted by the most powerful in our society: billionaires and oligarchs and corporate CEOs.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for corrupt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for corrupt
Adjective
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Maltz served as the lead author on a meta-analysis of how soil inoculation with different species of mycorrhizal fungi can affect degraded ecosystems.—
Lauren Oster,
Smithsonian Magazine,
12 May 2025
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For example, sponsor initiatives to restore degraded ecosystems, protect endangered species or support reforestation.—
Jamie Houston,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The flesh was rotting off his feet, and his tendons were exposed from frostbite.—
Ginny Monk,
Hartford Courant,
26 May 2025
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Also, check for hollows in trunks that may mean the interior portion is rotting.—
Tom MacCubbin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
25 May 2025
Verb
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Israeli forces are expected to continue their campaign to eliminate remaining Hamas leaders and degrade the group's military capabilities.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 May 2025
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Lithium-ion batteries degrade over time and can overheat if charged beyond their capacity and cause fires, according to FEMA’s U.S. Fire Administration.—
David Matthews,
New York Daily News,
28 May 2025
Verb
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For federal prosecutors in L.A., hanging over the case was the memory of a recent humiliation: the collapse of the Pentagon Papers trial, as a result of the Nixon administration’s attempt to bribe the presiding judge with a job.—
Christopher Goffard,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2025
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On the same weekend that Budin and Rosenthal tried to bribe Mickey Bruce, a player from Florida reported a similar bribery attempt involving a game between the Gators and Florida State.—
Austin Meek,
New York Times,
29 May 2025
Noun
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The series is centered on organized crime and corruption in Atlantic City during the Prohibition era, using real-life characters like Al Capone, Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky.—
Alex Knapp,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
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At the same time, a statewide grand jury, the FBI and state prosecutors were investigating corruption among public officials, including some in Broward schools.—
Scott Travis,
Sun Sentinel,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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Each year, about 48 million people in the U.S. get sick with foodborne illnesses, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.—
Stephanie Armour,
Miami Herald,
29 May 2025
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Delta Flight 694 was diverted en route from Detroit to Los Angeles International Airport on Monday evening to allow a passenger and a sick dog to disembark in Minneapolis, according to a statement from the airline.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2025
Verb
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However, when viruses were exposed to sunlight, many of them did not survive as long, decaying in under 24 hours.—
Jack Knudson,
Discover Magazine,
13 Mar. 2025
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The result was not only environmental catastrophe but license for unchecked consumption of cheap plastic goods that can take a few minutes to use but hundreds of years to decay.—
Scott W. Stern,
The Atlantic,
10 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Television ‘The Last of Us’ director on Ellie and Dina’s relationship: ‘This is not just a crush’ May 4, 2025 The stakes in Season 1 were very clear — get Ellie to where she can be used to make a cure — even if they were subverted in the end.—
Mary McNamara,
Los Angeles Times,
26 May 2025
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The chancellor’s attempt to seek your commission’s forgiveness years after deliberately avoiding your timely permission reads now like a cagey campaign to dodge his duties as steward of our knoll and subvert the relevant rule of law.—
Letters To The Editor,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Corrupt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/corrupt. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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