deprave

Synonym Chooser

How is the word deprave different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of deprave are corrupt, debase, debauch, pervert, and vitiate. While all these words mean "to cause deterioration or lowering in quality or character," deprave implies moral deterioration by evil thoughts or influences.

the claim that society is depraved by pornography

Where would corrupt be a reasonable alternative to deprave?

The meanings of corrupt and deprave largely overlap; however, corrupt implies loss of soundness, purity, or integrity.

the belief that bureaucratese corrupts the language

When can debase be used instead of deprave?

While the synonyms debase and deprave are close in meaning, debase implies a loss of position, worth, value, or dignity.

commercialism has debased the holiday

In what contexts can debauch take the place of deprave?

Although the words debauch and deprave have much in common, debauch implies a debasing through sensual indulgence.

the long stay on a tropical isle had debauched the ship's crew

When might pervert be a better fit than deprave?

In some situations, the words pervert and deprave are roughly equivalent. However, pervert implies a twisting or distorting from what is natural or normal.

perverted the original goals of the institute

When is vitiate a more appropriate choice than deprave?

While in some cases nearly identical to deprave, vitiate implies a destruction of purity, validity, or effectiveness by allowing entrance of a fault or defect.

a foreign policy vitiated by partisanship

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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deprave
Verb
  • The chances that the data would be corrupted three times is very unlikely, Kinget points out.
    IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 10 Aug. 2025
  • Jefferson and his supporters understood that such mixing of church and state corrupted both.
    Time, Time, 10 July 2025
Verb
  • Although Israel did not fully eliminate Iran’s nuclear capabilities, its air campaign delayed, degraded, and deterred Iran’s ambitions, and further transformed the Middle East’spolitical landscape.
    DAVID A. DEPTULA, Foreign Affairs, 11 Aug. 2025
  • They are also believed to degrade water quality, which can hurt sensitive organisms like freshwater mussels.
    Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • For Trump, whose political brand has long relied on projecting authenticity to his base, a sustained decline in honesty ratings could weaken his ability to roll out his agenda.
    Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Aug. 2025
  • This means banana particles can remain between teeth for an extended period, giving bacteria more time to produce acids that weaken tooth enamel.14 6.
    Lindsay Curtis, Verywell Health, 13 Aug. 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
  • Love lost, love gained, love perverted, love stolen.
    Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 24 July 2025
  • But at its heart, Harold & Kumar is a classic underdog tale pleasantly perverted by pot.
    Vulture Editors, Vulture, 20 Apr. 2024
Verb
  • The lineup features dramas, comedies, documentaries, thrillers, horror science fiction and several films that subvert the conventions of genre like Kathryn Bigelow’s A House of Dynamite, Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind and Mark Jenkin’s Rose of Nevada.
    Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2025
  • Both Smith and former Attorney General Merrick Garland repeatedly maintained prior to departing office that none of the actions taken in either the classified documents investigation or the probe of Trump's efforts to subvert his 2020 election loss were driven by politics.
    Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 2 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Luthor’s ultimate defeat is an unmasking that humiliates him by confirming his own worst fears about himself.
    Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 16 July 2025
  • Coach Ruben Amorim publicly humiliated him before a loan move to Aston Villa for the final half of the campaign.
    Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes.com, 20 July 2025
Verb
  • But Trump has poisoned those relationships through his intemperate demands and threats.
    Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2025
  • Given the scale of the U.S.'s deficits, the patient may already be poisoned.
    Clem Chambers, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Deprave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deprave. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.

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