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Synonym Chooser

How is the word vitiate different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of vitiate are corrupt, debase, debauch, deprave, and pervert. While all these words mean "to cause deterioration or lowering in quality or character," vitiate implies a destruction of purity, validity, or effectiveness by allowing entrance of a fault or defect.

a foreign policy vitiated by partisanship

When can corrupt be used instead of vitiate?

In some situations, the words corrupt and vitiate are roughly equivalent. However, corrupt implies loss of soundness, purity, or integrity.

the belief that bureaucratese corrupts the language

When is it sensible to use debase instead of vitiate?

While the synonyms debase and vitiate are close in meaning, debase implies a loss of position, worth, value, or dignity.

commercialism has debased the holiday

When would debauch be a good substitute for vitiate?

The synonyms debauch and vitiate are sometimes interchangeable, but debauch implies a debasing through sensual indulgence.

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

When could deprave be used to replace vitiate?

The words deprave and vitiate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, deprave implies moral deterioration by evil thoughts or influences.

the claim that society is depraved by pornography

When might pervert be a better fit than vitiate?

The words pervert and vitiate can be used in similar contexts, but pervert implies a twisting or distorting from what is natural or normal.

perverted the original goals of the institute

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of vitiate 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 The bill vitiates the existing legal agreements between the parties as to the calculation of re-setting of the ground lease rent and removes all leverage in negotiations. Anita W. Laremont, New York Daily News, 14 May 2024 Yet, the Biden Justice Department’s infighting and foot-dragging caused the statute of limitations for the 2014 and 2015 tax years to lapse, vitiating some of the investigation’s key allegations. The Editors, National Review, 21 July 2023 And, especially relevant to Edelman in this case: Is it vitiated by bad motives? Jesse Green, New York Times, 27 June 2023 See All Example Sentences for vitiate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vitiate
Verb
  • Apologies to the late John Lennon, but that song has been tainted for many. Need a break?
    KiMi Robinson, USA Today, 7 Apr. 2025
  • The river is tainted with harmful toxins from industrial waste, trash and untreated sewage.
    Kimberly Dickson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The dashboard was part of an extended pressure campaign from Buttigieg, who, during his tenure in the Biden administration, publicly challenged the major carriers to improve service and transparency—particularly after a summer marred by cancellations and flight delays.
    Bailey Berg, AFAR Media, 8 Apr. 2025
  • Indeed, Delaney’s personal life has been marred by what appears to be a pretty entrenched drinking problem, which has affected her career and led to very un-Diane Russell-like brushes with the law, the Daily Mail and other outlets have reported.
    Martha Ross, Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Government lawyers argue that Meta's services have degraded in quality in part because of its dominant position in the marketplace.
    Bobby Allyn, NPR, 13 Apr. 2025
  • According to the National Institutes of Health, ALS progressively degrades, then kills nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
    Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 11 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • 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
  • Farmers’ broiler chickens suffocate, and dairy products spoil.
    Monica Mark, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Feb. 2023
Verb
  • The spill killed 11 people and injured 17 others as 210 million gallons of crude oil were released into the Gulf of Mexico (recently renamed by the U.S. government as Gulf of America) for a total of 87 days.
    Terry Collins, USA Today, 20 Apr. 2025
  • Memorial at Florida State University after a fatal shooting killed two people and injured several others.
    Kati Weis, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Agreeing to a pick swap with the Lynx weakened the value of the pick that the Sky traded away.
    Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025
  • One by one, the sectors defect, and, eventually, the leader may weaken and their government may fall.
    Julia Angwin, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Until Henry momentarily excuses himself from the table, that is, and the person or persons behind these winky-wink messages tell her to poison Henry ASAP or the menacing guy currently hiding in her apartment will kill her boy.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Calls to poison control centers for pediatric melatonin ingestion increased 530 percent between 2012 and 2021, according to one analysis published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Sudden kicks, jumps, tackles, and awkward leg movements can damage groin muscles.
    Mark Gurarie, Health, 22 Apr. 2025
  • Arson – To unlawfully and intentionally damage or attempt to damage any real or personal property of another person or entity by fire or incendiary device.
    Baltimore Sun staff, Baltimore Sun, 22 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Vitiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vitiate. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.

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