vitiate

verb

vi·​ti·​ate ˈvi-shē-ˌāt 

vitiated; vitiating

transitive verb

1

: to make faulty or defective : impair

the comic impact is vitiated by obvious haste

—William Styron

2

: to debase in moral or aesthetic status

a mind vitiated by prejudice

3

: to make ineffective

fraud vitiates a contract

vitiation

ˌvi-shē-ˈā-shən 

noun

vitiator

ˈvi-shē-ˌā-tər 

noun

Did you know?

If you’re itching to find fault with the word vitiate, you don’t have to look far—the word comes ultimately from the Latin noun vitium, which refers to a fault, vice, shortcoming, or impediment to success or perfection. Accordingly, vitiate—like its fellow vitium-descended v-words vituperate ("to use harsh, condemning language"), vicious, and vice—has a negative bent. To vitiate something is, essentially, to mar or damage it in some way, whether by ruining or spoiling it ("a joke vitiated by poor timing"), corrupting it morally ("a mind vitiated by prejudice"), or rendering it null or ineffective ("fraud that vitiates a contract"). Despite its versatility, vitiate is most effective when used in formal speech and writing; that is to say, those who drop it into a construction like "a sandwich vitiated by too much peanut butter" may find themselves subject to some mild vituperation.

Synonyms

• blemish
• darken
• mar
• poison
• spoil
• stain
• taint
• tarnish
• touch

Choose the Right Synonym for vitiate

debase, vitiate, deprave, corrupt, debauch, pervert mean to cause deterioration or lowering in quality or character.

debase implies a loss of position, worth, value, or dignity.

commercialism has debased the holiday

vitiate implies a destruction of purity, validity, or effectiveness by allowing entrance of a fault or defect.

a foreign policy vitiated by partisanship

deprave implies moral deterioration by evil thoughts or influences.

the claim that society is depraved by pornography

corrupt implies loss of soundness, purity, or integrity.

the belief that bureaucratese corrupts the language

debauch implies a debasing through sensual indulgence.

the long stay on a tropical isle had debauched the ship's crew

pervert implies a twisting or distorting from what is natural or normal.

perverted the original goals of the institute

Examples of vitiate in a Sentence

The impact of the film was vitiated by poor acting.

believed that luxury vitiates even the most principled person

Recent Examples on the Web

Brazil’s and Colombia’s efforts to mediate between Maduro’s government and the opposition have floundered, and their desire to appear neutral in the name of dialogue has vitiated their ability to act on principle. —Christopher Sabatini, Foreign Affairs, 9 Oct. 2024

His lawyers contend the case was tainted by violations of Trump’s constitutional rights and that the verdict is vitiated by the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling. —Kristine Gill, Fortune, 4 Sep. 2024

His lawyers contend that the case was tainted by violations of Trump’s constitutional rights and that the verdict is vitiated by the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling. —Michael R. Sisak, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2024

His lawyers contend the case was tainted by violations of Trump's constitutional rights and that the verdict is vitiated by the Supreme Court's immunity ruling. —CBS News, 3 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin vitiatus, past participle of vitiare, from vitium fault, vice

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

vitiate

verb

vi·​ti·​ate ˈvish-ē-ˌāt 

vitiated; vitiating

1

: to harm the quality of : spoil

grammatical errors vitiated the impact of her writing

2

: to destroy the effect or force of

fraud vitiates a contract

vitiation

ˌvish-ē-ˈā-shən 

noun

Legal Definition

vitiate

transitive verb

vi·​ti·​ate ˈvi-shē-ˌāt 

vitiated; vitiating

: to make ineffective

fraud vitiates a contract