1
as in tainting
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
believed that luxury vitiates even the most principled person
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in damaging
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
numerous grammatical errors vitiate the effectiveness of your writing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in degrading
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
a penchant for coarse language vitiates what is otherwise a refined literary style
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vitiating
Verb
-
Played by cisgender actress Kathleen Turner, Charles proved to be one of the more divisive characters from Friends, tainting its cultural legacy for some critics.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Feb. 2026 -
Infected people and dogs had to be prevented from tainting water sources.—
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Use a suede brush, limited water, and a suede-safe cleaner to gently clean your boots without damaging them.—
Caroline Lubinsky,
Martha Stewart,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Twice a day during high tide, water will come up over the retaining wall and flood the area, damaging the trees.—
Amy DeLaura,
The Washington Examiner,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Military planners outlined potential operational concepts aimed at degrading the program, including strikes on key manufacturing and development sites.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Making buses free risks degrading performance.—
Josh Appel,
Washington Post,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Much of the damage that the larger amount would cause, especially the impact on the pond and spoiling the preserve, would still happen under the new plan.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Petrecca was thrust into the commentary role, replacing Auro Bulbarelli, who removed himself after spoiling the surprise arrival of Mattarella aboard one of the city’s trams.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The demoralizing graffiti marring the main entrance to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 360 Lenox Ave.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate, along with Detroit’s Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren, were ejected for fighting, marring what was an intriguing game between the top team in the Eastern Conference and the one featuring the NBA’s longest current win streak.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In this way at least, the mayor follows in the path of Socrates by corrupting the young.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
But now, federal prosecutors say Hennen is the fixer behind the biggest point-shaving scandal in history, accused of bribing 39 college players, corrupting 17 programs and fixing — or trying fix — 29 games to enrich himself and other gamblers.—
Andy Sheehan,
CBS News,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
There are even tales of them poisoning people and holding funerals for their dead.—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Officials in both Hong Kong and Beijing defended the case against Lai, with the city’s leader John Lee accusing the newspaper of inciting violence and poisoning young minds.—
Kanis Leung,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
One night in January, the Russian military reportedly shot down twenty-five Ukrainian drones over the Rostov region; one civilian was killed, and the debris from a drone crashed into an apartment block, injuring four others.—
Sophie Spiegelberger,
New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2026
-
As law enforcement officers moved in, gunfire erupted, killing Hislope and injuring two others — another Christian County deputy and a deputy from Webster County, according to media reports.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
24 Feb. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Vitiating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vitiating. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
