1
as in to taint
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
believed that luxury vitiates even the most principled person
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to mar
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
numerous grammatical errors vitiate the effectiveness of your writing
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to degrade
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
a penchant for coarse language vitiates what is otherwise a refined literary style
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of vitiate
These men thought that King George III had vitiated their rights as Englishmen under the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and the Bill of Rights that passed Parliament the following year.
—
Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 July 2025
Though most of the characters do not treat it as such, magic could vitiate most tactility: one’s wand could be a universal remote control for every other object in one’s environment.
—Literary Hub, 26 June 2025
The 2017 tax bill was a significant reform, and Republicans should avoid, to the extent possible, vitiating it with political catnip like no taxes on tips and other random Trump inspirations.
—The Editors, National Review, 12 May 2025
Obviously this does not vitiate the whole enterprise of poetry.
—Andrea Long Chu, Vulture, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for vitiate
Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 July 2025
Though most of the characters do not treat it as such, magic could vitiate most tactility: one’s wand could be a universal remote control for every other object in one’s environment.
—Literary Hub, 26 June 2025
The 2017 tax bill was a significant reform, and Republicans should avoid, to the extent possible, vitiating it with political catnip like no taxes on tips and other random Trump inspirations.
—The Editors, National Review, 12 May 2025
Obviously this does not vitiate the whole enterprise of poetry.
—Andrea Long Chu, Vulture, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for vitiate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vitiate
Verb
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That means every angle needs to be screen-ready and not tainted by equipment, crew or the director.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
19 Feb. 2026
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Marchand’s answer was tainted by him being told Suzuki had been getting some criticism for how his tournament had been going.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The abrupt withdrawal of Microsoft's co-founder dealt a fresh blow to a flagship event already marred by organizational lapses, a robot row and complaints of traffic chaos.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
20 Feb. 2026
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But more recently, Clark’s tenure has been marred by dissent and distractions.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In many cases submitted to Othram, the main challenge can be having to rely solely on significantly old remains, as in Ritchie’s case, or other pieces of evidence that have degraded over time, Othram’s CEO David Mittelman told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
16 Feb. 2026
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Cement and steel degrade and corrode over time (especially when underground and in constant contact with saltwater).—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Canada’s comeback spoiled good performances by a pair of Anaheim Ducks.—
Kevin Baxter,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
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The rampant speculation was also fueled by the existence of another clip in which Ansell appears to spoil a major plot point for a potential future season of the show.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In December, another snowmobiler was badly injured in an avalanche at Latopie Lake in Mono County, and was airlifted for emergency services in Reno.—
Jack Dolan,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
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The three people injured were grandparents Linda and Gerald Dorgan, and a family friend Thomas Geruso, Goncalves said.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Getty Images Since the June strikes, Iran’s rulers have been weakened by street protests, suppressed at a cost of thousands of lives, against a cost-of-living crisis driven in part by international sanctions that have strangled the country’s oil income.—
Max Burman,
NBC news,
17 Feb. 2026
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Some purchasers had issues with the hook-and-loop straps weakening quickly.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died in prison after being poisoned by a frog toxin, five European countries said Saturday.—
J.D. Capelouto,
semafor.com,
15 Feb. 2026
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Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in a remote Siberian prison two years ago, was almost certainly poisoned with a deadly toxin found in South American dart frogs, five European governments said Saturday.—
Nandika Chatterjee,
Time,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Overall, European leaders’ positive reception of Rubio’s speech reflected how horrifically damaged the transatlantic relationship has been by the past year of turmoil over Ukraine, and month of arson over Greenland.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
15 Feb. 2026
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Some of the fiercest storms in the South were reported near Lake Charles, Louisiana, where high winds from a thunderstorm overturned a horse trailer and a Mardi Gras float, damaged an airport jet bridge and flung the metal awning from a house into power lines.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vitiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vitiate. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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