corruption
[kuh-ruhp-shuh n]
- the act of corrupting or state of being corrupt.
- moral perversion; depravity.
- perversion of integrity.
- corrupt or dishonest proceedings.
- bribery.
- debasement or alteration, as of language or a text.
- a debased form of a word.
- putrefactive decay; rottenness.
- any corrupting influence or agency.
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Origin of corruption
Synonyms
See more synonyms for corruption on Thesaurus.com2. dissolution, immorality. 8. rot, putrefaction, putrescence, foulness, pollution, contamination.
Antonyms
1–3. purity. 3, 4. honesty.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for corruption
Contemporary Examples
She is the author of Dirty Entanglements: Corruption, Crime and Terrorism (Cambridge University Press).
ISIS, Boko Haram, and the Growing Role of Human Trafficking in 21st Century TerrorismLouise I. Shelley
December 26, 2014
Islamic State brought “peace, autonomy, zero corruption, low crime-rate,” he Tweeted last month.
The stench of corruption is settling over world soccer like a poisonous fog, and players are paying the price.
The ruling also cleared Mubarak along with his sons, Alaa and Gamal, of corruption charges relating to the sale of gas to Israel.
Mubarak’s Acquittal Signals Complete Triumph of Military Over Arab SpringJamie Dettmer
November 29, 2014
Padre Goyo, with his clerical collar and his bulletproof vest, is an icon for those fighting drugs and corruption.
Historical Examples
The name is a Spanish corruption ofAshiwi, their own name for themselves.
The Trail BookMary Austin
And am I to be hurried along by this stream of corruption to infamy and oblivion!
Tales And Novels, Volume 5 (of 10)Maria Edgeworth
This is a corruption of the old Norman-French word oyez, “hear ye.”
English VillagesP. H. Ditchfield
His children are shadows—their life a dance, a sickness, a corruption.
A Dish Of OrtsGeorge MacDonald
By what I have ingenuously told you, you may see who began this corruption.
Clarissa, Volume 3 (of 9)Samuel Richardson
corruption
- the act of corrupting or state of being corrupt
- moral perversion; depravity
- dishonesty, esp bribery
- putrefaction or decay
- alteration, as of a manuscript
- an altered form of a word
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for corruption
n.
mid-14c., of material things, especially dead bodies, also of the soul, morals, etc., from Latin corruptionem (nominative corruptio), noun of action from past participle stem of corrumpere (see corrupt). Of public offices from early 15c.; of language from late 15c.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper