as in degraded
having or showing lowered moral character or standards
corrupt businessmen who are out to fleece the public corrupt business practices that should be investigated
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to rot
to go through decomposition
a dead mouse corrupting in the walls produced a terrible smell
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to degrade
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
some observers believe that grossly violent movies corrupt the people who watch them as well as the people who make them
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to bribe
to influence someone with a bribe
he bragged about having corrupted half of the officials on the city council
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of corrupt
David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2025
The issue of this corrupt bargain is currently before the Southern District federal court in the context of the government’s motion to temporarily dismiss.
—Nick Akerman, New York Daily News, 2 Mar. 2025
Aja Romano, Vox, 7 Feb. 2025
Even officials who gangs haven’t corrupted are part of hopelessly underresourced departments.
—Matthew Bremner, Rolling Stone, 5 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for corrupt
Adjective
In 1938, voters ousted the ignominiously corrupt Frank Shaw, electing reformer Fletcher Bowron in his place.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2025
The issue of this corrupt bargain is currently before the Southern District federal court in the context of the government’s motion to temporarily dismiss.
—Nick Akerman, New York Daily News, 2 Mar. 2025
Verb
Most baffling of all, Ye claimed that fake children had been installed in his home to corrupt his children.
—Aja Romano, Vox, 7 Feb. 2025
Even officials who gangs haven’t corrupted are part of hopelessly underresourced departments.
—Matthew Bremner, Rolling Stone, 5 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for corrupt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for corrupt
Adjective
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Meier is among the authors of a WWF report that outlines steps towards restoring, conserving, and sustainably managing grasslands, and urges for them to be included in global UN targets aiming to restore 30% of degraded ecosystems and 30% of terrestrial and aquatic environments by 2030.—
Jacopo Prisco,
CNN,
6 Dec. 2024
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Tragically, the Chesapeake remains significantly degraded and its overall water quality has improved only marginally after 41 years.—
Gerald Winegrad,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The story revolves around a town where the inhabitants have been mysteriously disappearing and rumours abound that there are ghosts under the lake eating human heads and leaving the rotting corpses floating on the water’s surface.—
Liz Shackleton,
Deadline,
16 Mar. 2025
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Check to make sure the soil isn't soggy or too wet, as this can lead to bulbs rotting.—
Lauren David,
Southern Living,
15 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Most microplastics are made on land, where larger plastic debris degrades into tinier and tinier pieces.—
Sam Walters,
Discover Magazine,
7 Mar. 2025
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Globalstar, on the other hand, claims that opening up the 1.6GHz and 2.4GHz bands to other companies risks generating interference with its own satellite systems, potentially degrading the satellite connectivity for iPhones.—
Michael Kan,
PCMAG,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Tom Seidler, now the Padres’ vice president of community and international impact, bribed John’s 10-year-old son to work on his dad regarding the ubiquitous Petco park chant.—
Kevin Acee,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Mar. 2025
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Sure, Zachary Beck has had his business absorbed into that of a more violent and ruthless arms merchant, but his sins are far worse than just bribing customs officials to avoid import duties on rugs or whatever.—
Chris Klimek,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Nearly 95 people got sick during a norovirus outbreak on a Holland America Line ship, the cruise line’s fourth this year.—
Nathan Diller,
USA TODAY,
18 Mar. 2025
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Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock alum Tracy Morgan caused a temporary delay at Monday night's NBA game between the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat after the actor and comedian got sick in his courtside seat during the second half, and later sharing an update on his condition from a hospital bed.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
18 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
What doesn’t decay this winter can be mulched up next spring.—
Jeff Lowenfels,
Anchorage Daily News,
22 Sep. 2022
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In particular, many theorists have wondered how the great complexity of life can be reconciled with the laws of thermodynamics that suggest that all systems must inevitably decay to a state of greatest disorder.—
The Physics arXiv Blog,
Discover Magazine,
29 Apr. 2022
Verb
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Another artist new to me was Summer Wheat at the Nazarian/Curcio booth whose paintings subvert traditional representation of women and look like textiles but is actually paint applied through a rigorous process.—
Tom Teicholz,
Forbes,
14 Mar. 2025
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In the past decade, some liberals and progressives have ignored or even worked to subvert free-speech norms, a matter that has been extensively covered in the press.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
The New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The people here prefer to be crooked while pretending to be holy.—
Colm Tóibín,
The New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2025
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My tween self wrote a letter to myself stating that my ideal person would have a crooked smile, a sense of humor, honest eyes and a creative palate.—
Lisa Stardust,
People.com,
12 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Corrupt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/corrupt. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
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