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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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
Just as Sadat’s Jerusalem journey shocked the Carter administration out of its misguided approach, a public rapprochement between Israel and Saudi Arabia may be the only move that could both mitigate and possibly even vitiate U.S.-Iranian negotiations.
—
Gabriel Scheinmann, Foreign Affairs, 17 May 2015
Obviously this does not vitiate the whole enterprise of poetry.
—Andrea Long Chu, Vulture, 6 May 2025
Such words are verbal roadblocks that not only vitiate the meaning of your message but worse, obscure its clarity.
—Jerry Weissman, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
Older now, and vitiated by the injuries sustained during the attempt on his life, Sliwa was nonetheless imposing.
—Kent Russell, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vitiate
Gabriel Scheinmann, Foreign Affairs, 17 May 2015
Obviously this does not vitiate the whole enterprise of poetry.
—Andrea Long Chu, Vulture, 6 May 2025
Such words are verbal roadblocks that not only vitiate the meaning of your message but worse, obscure its clarity.
—Jerry Weissman, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
Older now, and vitiated by the injuries sustained during the attempt on his life, Sliwa was nonetheless imposing.
—Kent Russell, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vitiate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vitiate
Verb
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With him alive, she was tainted by association with his poor behavior.—
Ann Foster,
JSTOR Daily,
9 July 2025
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Combs’ reputation has been thoroughly tainted by the lurid details of the trial and strong condemnations from his many accusers.—
August Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
3 July 2025
Verb
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Sure, the game was marred by former commissioner Bud Selig declaring the 2002 edition a tie.—
Dan Freedman,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
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The production Chosen had early in his career for the New York Jets and then with a 1,000-yard season for the Carolina Panthers in 2020 was marred by two arrests within a year between 2018 and 2019.—
David Furones,
Sun Sentinel,
14 July 2025
Verb
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Metal can tarnish or degrade when exposed to humidity, and many materials degrade when exposed to cardboard that isn't acid-free.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
19 July 2025
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In the last year, Israel has managed to significantly degrade the capabilities of its adversaries, particularly Lebanon’s Hezbollah, and its June conflict with Iran – with the help of the U.S. – was widely seen as having dealt a significant blow to Tehran’s abilities to harm the Jewish state.—
Natasha Turak,
CNBC,
18 July 2025
Verb
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Dodge won't spoil the surprise by confirming if the last one will be based on the Charger or the Challenger (or maybe both), but the evidence suggests the latter is more likely.—
Jack Fitzgerald,
Car and Driver,
13 Feb. 2023
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Farmers’ broiler chickens suffocate, and dairy products spoil.—
Monica Mark,
The Christian Science Monitor,
10 Feb. 2023
Verb
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The July 2024 shooting injured then-candidate Trump and killed a fire chief.—
ByDonald J. Mihalek,
ABC News,
13 July 2025
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Louisa Geringer, her 15-year-old stepson and 3-year-old daughter all died; a daughter and cousin were injured.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
13 July 2025
Verb
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This weakens their ability to educate, create, and grow.—
Miguel Cardona,
Time,
21 July 2025
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This could help verify recent findings from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) that suggest this strange force is actually weakening over time.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
20 July 2025
Verb
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The health secretary said vegetable oils, like canola and soybean, are poisoning Americans and driving the obesity epidemic.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
8 July 2025
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After a week of deliberation, the jury found Erin Patterson lured her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald Patterson and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, to lunch at her home and poisoned them with individual servings of Beef Wellington that contained death cap mushrooms.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
7 July 2025
Verb
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Driving through deep water can also damage a vehicle's mechanical and electrical systems.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
14 July 2025
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Anything that damages the trust between the vendor, Microsoft, and the user is as much a threat as the hackers themselves, in my never humble opinion.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vitiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vitiate. Accessed 27 Jul. 2025.
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