vitiates

verb

present tense third-person singular of vitiate
1
as in taints
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable believed that luxury vitiates even the most principled person

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2
as in damages
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 degrades
to lower in character, dignity, or quality a penchant for coarse language vitiates what is otherwise a refined literary style

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for vitiates
  1. taints
  2. damages
  3. degrades
  4. spoils
  5. injures
  6. weakens
  7. poisons
  8. mars
Verb
  • That’s been an idiotic trope for too long — that participating in the business side of it taints you.
    — Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026
  • The sarcasm taints the question but doesn’t invalidate it.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
Definition of taints
Verb
  • The article argues this move severely damages American soccer's integrity and global reputation.
    — Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
  • Most notably, those who switched faced a 24% higher risk of developing diabetic retinopathy, a condition that damages the blood vessels in the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye.
    — Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 26 June 2026
Definition of damages
Verb
  • But when sports leagues add games, the experience for fans degrades in a way that doesn’t always show up in the dollars and cents.
    — Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 10 July 2026
  • Apple, Bose, and Sony all seal their batteries, which means that once the cell degrades, the product's practical lifespan is on a timer.
    — Christian de Looper, PC Magazine, 8 July 2026
Definition of degrades
Verb
  • Nothing spoils a good night's sleep quite like a hot, stuffy house.
    — Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 26 June 2026
  • Even worse, some streams lag so far behind live that a text from a friend or app notification spoils a game-changing goal.
    — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 12 June 2026
Definition of spoils
Verb
  • Early on in the clip, Jake Johnson’s former tennis star Dusty Boyd trips over the net and injures his wrist in a bad way.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 23 June 2026
  • Who is responsible when a robot breaks something or injures someone?
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 June 2026
Definition of injures
Verb
  • Fresh concrete is alkaline enough to shield the metal from rust, but carbonation gradually lowers its pH and weakens that protection.
    — Sam Macdonald, Scientific American, 11 July 2026
  • As the sun grows lighter, its gravitational grip weakens, pushing the surviving planets outward into a wider orbit that could double their distance from the star, according to NASA.
    — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 8 July 2026
Definition of weakens
Verb
  • Despite her initial disinterest, Kara develops a personal stake when Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts), the one who killed Ruthye's parents and brother, poisons her dog Krypto.
    — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 25 June 2026
  • In the film, Cady also poisons the family dog, Benjamin.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 12 June 2026
Definition of poisons
Verb
  • Especially the guy who bangs a wrecking ball against the historic East Wing to make room for an incongruous ballroom monstrosity, who mars the sacred Oval Office with gold glitter and paves over the lovely Rose Garden.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • Jacob Whitehead Homophobic chant mars Mexico’s win Before the World Cup, the Mexican football federation launched a campaign that featured the heroes of the country’s 1986 World Cup side.
    — Jack Lang, New York Times, 26 June 2026
Definition of mars
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Vitiates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vitiates. Accessed 14 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on vitiates

Nglish: Translation of vitiates for Spanish Speakers

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