corruption

[kuh-ruhp-shuhn]

noun

1. the act of corrupting or state of being corrupt.

   Antonyms: purity

2. moral perversion; depravity.

   Synonyms: immorality, dissolution
   Antonyms: purity

3. perversion of integrity.

   Antonyms: honesty, purity

4. corrupt or dishonest proceedings.

   Antonyms: honesty

5. bribery.

6. debasement or alteration, as of language or a text.

7. a debased form of a word.

8. putrefactive decay; rottenness.

   Synonyms: contamination, pollution, foulness, putrescence, putrefaction, rot

9. any corrupting influence or agency.

10. Computers.,  the state of being compromised by errors in computer code or stored data, or an action that causes such errors.

    The system crash was the result of previously undetected data corruption.

corruption

/ kəˈrʌpʃən /

noun

1. the act of corrupting or state of being corrupt

2. moral perversion; depravity

3. dishonesty, esp bribery

4. putrefaction or decay

5. alteration, as of a manuscript

6. an altered form of a word

Other Word Forms

• anticorruption noun
• overcorruption noun
• precorruption noun
• corruptionist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of corruption¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English cor(r)upcio(u)n, from Middle French, from Latin corruptiōn-, stem of corruptiō; corrupt, -ion

Example Sentences

The youth-led protests began on 25 September, triggered by public anger over repeated water and power cuts and have since morphed into wider dissatisfaction over corruption and high unemployment.

From BBC

Identifying himself as "Capt Tesha" from the air force, he accuses the government of corruption, rights violations and political interference in the military.

From BBC

Some reformers have credited Sheinbaum with confronting corruption, while others say she has been too cautious, too hesitant, to take on a problem deeply entrenched in Mexican politics.

From Los Angeles Times

As you know, three years ago I stated that we would be ruthless in tackling those who corrupted the Met's integrity and began the biggest police corruption clear-out in British history.

From BBC

He was a close ally of former President Jacob Zuma and was implicated in what is known in South Africa as the state capture inquiry, which looked into allegations of high-level corruption during Zuma's presidency.

From BBC

Related Words

• bribery 
• crime 
• exploitation 
• extortion 
• fraud 
• graft 
• malfeasance 
• nepotism 

When To Use

What does corruption mean?

Corruption most commonly refers to a state in which members of organizations or institutions are engaging in illegal or otherwise dishonest practices to benefit themselves.The term is most often used in the context of such rulebreaking by people who are powerful or who are responsible for the well-being of others, such as politicians, government officials, and police officers.Corruption is a noun form of corrupt, which can be an adjective used to describe people who act in this way (or their actions), or a verb meaning to destroy the integrity of someone or something or cause someone to be dishonest.More generally, corruption can refer to the act or process of someone or something becoming corrupt, depraved, or debased.More specifically, corruption can refer to the alteration of a word or text in a way that deviates from its original or intended form.Example: The investigation revealed a long history of corruption within the agency that extends to its highest ranks.