as in to corrupt
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
the belief that pornography depraves society as a whole
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 deprave
The company goes on to say the infringing product depraves Levi’s its rights to use and control its trademark and maintain its reputation with consumers, licensees and collaborators and allows others to believe the distinctive features of the Tab trademark may be misappropriated for their use.
—
Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 3 Jan. 2025
They are depraved on account of being deprived.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 14 Dec. 2024
The company goes on to say the infringing product depraves Levi’s its rights to use and control its trademark and maintain its reputation with consumers, licensees and collaborators and allows others to believe the distinctive features of the Tab trademark may be misappropriated for their use.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 3 Jan. 2025
All writings, unpalatable for one section of the society, cannot be labeled as obscene, vulgar, depraving, prurient and immoral. . . .
—Amitava Kumar, The New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2019
This is especially true when the news operation is clearly on the side of righteousness against a policy as depraved this.
—David Zurawik, baltimoresun.com, 15 June 2018
This series follows the trails of their obsession, and takes a deep dive into the killers’ depraved psyches to reveal their darkest secrets as investigators close in to end the killer’s reign of terror.
—Michael O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Apr. 2018
McDonagh complicates Mildred's story by showing how the lust for justice can grow depraved the longer it is denied — a favorite subject of dramatists going back to Aeschylus.
—Charles McNulty, latimes.com, 1 Mar. 2018
As depraved a forum as Twitter can be at times, one of its redeeming characteristics is its users' penchant for outing liars in real time.
—Matthew Martinez, star-telegram, 18 Feb. 2018
Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 3 Jan. 2025
They are depraved on account of being deprived.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 14 Dec. 2024
The company goes on to say the infringing product depraves Levi’s its rights to use and control its trademark and maintain its reputation with consumers, licensees and collaborators and allows others to believe the distinctive features of the Tab trademark may be misappropriated for their use.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 3 Jan. 2025
All writings, unpalatable for one section of the society, cannot be labeled as obscene, vulgar, depraving, prurient and immoral. . . .
—Amitava Kumar, The New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2019
This is especially true when the news operation is clearly on the side of righteousness against a policy as depraved this.
—David Zurawik, baltimoresun.com, 15 June 2018
This series follows the trails of their obsession, and takes a deep dive into the killers’ depraved psyches to reveal their darkest secrets as investigators close in to end the killer’s reign of terror.
—Michael O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Apr. 2018
McDonagh complicates Mildred's story by showing how the lust for justice can grow depraved the longer it is denied — a favorite subject of dramatists going back to Aeschylus.
—Charles McNulty, latimes.com, 1 Mar. 2018
As depraved a forum as Twitter can be at times, one of its redeeming characteristics is its users' penchant for outing liars in real time.
—Matthew Martinez, star-telegram, 18 Feb. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deprave
Verb
-
To make matters worse, beyond unintentional biases, bad actors may corrupt AI technologies by feeding false or divisive information into AI training data.—
Corinne Post,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
-
In one poignant conversation, Hoover described how the GDs needed to corrupt our youth.—
Ronald S. Safer,
Chicago Tribune,
30 May 2025
Verb
-
Use of this material has been proposed in the past, but has been hampered by the fact that making CNTs involves metals, and the residue left behind ends up degrading electrical performance.—
Alex Knapp,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
-
Further, Israel’s previous attacks on Iran in April and October 2024 managed to degrade Iran’s ballistic and surface-to-air missiles and air defense radar systems.—
Javed Ali,
The Conversation,
13 June 2025
Verb
-
Should the economy unexpectedly weaken, larger and sooner cuts are possible.—
Simon Moore,
Forbes.com,
15 June 2025
-
Since then, a series of shifts has reshaped the Middle East and weakened Iran and its proxies, the war in Gaza, Israel's decimation of the leadership of Hezbollah in Lebanon, the collapse of the Syrian regime, and now Israel's surprise attack.—
/ CBS News,
CBS News,
15 June 2025
Verb
-
The atmosphere, at once debauched and sombre, felt like a wake, one attendee said.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2025
-
But as commercialization took hold, the event metastasized into a pit of hard drugs, drunkenness, and debauch a world apart from its bohemian origins.—
Charlie Campbell,
TIME,
17 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
In his eyes, a Jew who fails to share that outlook becomes the monster of traditional antisemitic lore: something perverted from its essential nature.—
Robert Helfand,
Hartford Courant,
21 May 2025
-
The rule of law has been invoked and perverted in a concerted effort to undermine it.—
Mark A. Cohen,
Forbes.com,
12 May 2025
Verb
-
Relative to previous presidents, Trump is much more willing to ignore the country’s interests and pursue goals that openly subvert them.—
Daniel Byman,
The Atlantic,
24 May 2025
-
Both underscore how well this series, at its best, generates suspense from editing, while either subverting expectations or diabolically playing on common fears.—
A.A. Dowd,
Vulture,
19 May 2025
Verb
-
Ukrainians said they were subjected to beatings, electric shocks and dog attacks by Russian authorities, not only to extract information but to intimidate and humiliate them.—
Richard Engel,
NBC news,
11 June 2025
-
Musk, who also owns SpaceX, had backed Isaacman, and felt betrayed and humiliated when Trump changed his mind, according to the report.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
7 June 2025
Verb
-
The toxins accumulate in filter-feeding fish, and then poison larger mammals who gobble up the fish in mass quantities.—
Corinne Purtill,
Los Angeles Times,
5 June 2025
-
The Louisville Courier Journal documented the connection in their investigation into cartel drugs poisoning Oregon.—
Sean Campbell,
The Conversation,
23 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deprave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deprave. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share