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 DiCaprio has played disturbed and depraved individuals in Scorsese’s films before, but Killers of the Flower Moon is something different. Tim Grierson, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025 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 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
  • Files were easily lost or corrupted.
    Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 8 Oct. 2025
  • As a model named Carl, stuck in a relationship corrupted by microcelebrity and Instagram view counts, Dickinson ticks with exasperation and sarcastic logic, his jaw clenched, his eyes wide and staring.
    Carrie Battan, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Douglass advises against starting from the assumption that people arrive somewhere and immediately begin to degrade the environment.
    Ari Daniel, NPR, 8 Oct. 2025
  • This process degrades the mirrors' reflectivity and clarity over time, so technicians regularly recoat and polish them to ensure the best precision.
    Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • But with her coalition prospects in doubt, and the party weakened by scandal and voter frustration, her route to Japan’s top job is far from assured.
    Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025
  • Studies have found that, in some instances, background noise can weaken territorial responses in males.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The dark comedy follows a wealthy socialite, Stacy (Cherry), and a struggling writer, Becky (Chalotra), who are brought together at a lavish, debauched New York party.
    Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2025
  • The atmosphere, at once debauched and sombre, felt like a wake, one attendee said.
    Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The real fiends were the ones who perverted science, who attacked this misunderstood giant out of fear, who branded him as something unholy and unworthy to exist, who gave him life but didn’t give him love.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Aware of this injustice, companies are hiring lawyers and influence peddlers to bolster their MAGA credentials and pervert traditional law enforcement.
    Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Below, Gray speaks with THR about life on the road, subverting the pressure of fans’ reaction to his music and finding his complete self recording his new music.
    Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Infiniti’s portrayal of Willa has drawn praise for subverting the trope of the damsel in distress, instead becoming her very own heroine in the tale.
    Clayton Davis, Variety, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • We were crushed, humiliated, and broken, after our city was destroyed, occupied and erased from existence.
    Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Alarr’s unwelcome physical touching made Plaintiff feel offended, uncomfortable, humiliated and intimidated.
    Lynette Rice, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • But Antonio distracts him by accusing him in the town square of sending Justina off to El Alcazar and poisoning his son.
    Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 12 Oct. 2025
  • One of the jurors said deliberations were poisoned by a belief among some jurors that a member of the panel had been paid off by Weinstein or his lawyers.
    Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Deprave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deprave. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.

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