corrupt

[ kuh-ruhpt ]

/ kəˈrʌpt /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: corrupt / corrupted / corrupting / corruptive on Thesaurus.com

adjective

guilty of dishonest practices, as bribery; lacking integrity; crooked: a corrupt judge.

debased in character; depraved; perverted; wicked; evil: a corrupt society.

(of a text) made inferior by errors or alterations: Scholars compared the corrupt Alexandrian manuscript with a more reliable Greek translation.

infected; tainted.

Archaic. decayed; putrid.

Computers. relating to or designating computer code or stored data that contains errors: If the corrupt file won’t open, restore a previous save.

verb (used with object)

to destroy the integrity of; cause to be dishonest, disloyal, etc., especially by bribery.

to lower morally; pervert: to corrupt youth.

to alter (a language, text, etc.) for the worse; debase.

to mar; spoil.

to infect; taint.

Archaic. to make putrid or putrescent.

Computers. to introduce errors in (computer code or stored data) when saving, transmitting, or retrieving it: I downloaded some free modifications that corrupted the core program, so I can’t open it until I uninstall and reinstall the original version.

English Law. (in historical use) to subject (an attainted person) to corruption of blood.

verb (used without object)

to become corrupt.

OTHER WORDS FOR corrupt

1 false, trustworthy.

4 contaminated.

5 putrescent, rotten, decomposed, spoiled.

7 bribe, buy, suborn; demoralize.

8 debase, vitiate.

11 contaminate, pollute, defile.

12 putrefy.

See synonyms for corrupt on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!

In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”

Question 1 of 7

The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.

affect

effect

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of corrupt

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English verb from Latin corruptus “rotten, decayed, corrupted” (past participle of corrumpere ), equivalent to cor- intensive prefix + rup- (variant stem of rumpere “to break”) + -tus past participle suffix; see cor-

synonym study for corrupt

1. Corrupt, dishonest, venal apply to a person, especially in public office, who acts on mercenary motives, without regard to honor, right, or justice. A corrupt politician is one originally honest who has succumbed to temptation and begun questionable practices. A dishonest politician is one lacking native integrity. A venal politician is one so totally debased as to sell patronage.

OTHER WORDS FROM corrupt

cor·rupt·ed·ly, adverbcor·rupt·ed·ness, nouncor·rupt·er, cor·rup·tor, nouncor·rup·tive, adjective

cor·rup·tive·ly, adverbcor·rupt·ly, adverbcor·rupt·ness, nounnon·cor·rupt, adjectivenon·cor·rupt·ly, adverbnon·cor·rupt·ness, nounnon·cor·rupt·er, nounnon·cor·rup·tive, adjectiveo·ver·cor·rupt, verb, adjectiveo·ver·cor·rupt·ly, adverbpre·cor·rupt, verb (used with object)pre·cor·rupt·ly, adverbpre·cor·rupt·ness, nounpre·cor·rup·tive, adjectiveun·cor·rupt, adjectiveun·cor·rupt·ly, adverbun·cor·rupt·ness, nounun·cor·rupt·ed, adjectiveun·cor·rupt·ed·ly, adverbun·cor·rupt·ed·ness, nounun·cor·rupt·ing, adjectiveun·cor·rup·tive, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use corrupt in a sentence

Dugan countered with an EEOC complaint that said her suspension was retaliation for her calling out sexual harassment, corrupt voting procedures, and conflicts of interest among board members at the organization.
Why Tiffany Haddish turned down the Grammys|Claire Zillman, reporter|December 11, 2020|Fortune
An overwhelming majority of his supporters — as many as 85 percent of them — believe that the election was corrupted by “millions” of instances of malfeasance.
A Kraken is loose in America|Dan Zak|December 10, 2020|Washington Post
He plays Michael Desiato, a well-regarded New Orleans judge who is nevertheless a part of the city’s inherently corrupt dynamics, unwittingly or otherwise.
Bryan Cranston returns to TV in ‘Your Honor,’ but this grim tale is easily dismissed|Hank Stuever|December 4, 2020|Washington Post
It makes me consider the awe of solitude, and later, after its discovery, how easily that awe is corrupted.
Who's Really to Blame for the Monolith Shitshow|Mark Sundeen|December 4, 2020|Outside Online

How attack ads in the Georgia Senate runoff races are shaping upThat said, accusing the Republican senators of being corrupt isn’t a new line of attack from Democrats.
What we know about David Perdue’s stock trades|Amber Phillips|December 2, 2020|Washington Post
Shall it again be held, in its orbit by the attractive, the corruptive influence of the petty island of Great Britain?
Abridgement of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856 (4 of 16 vol.)|Various
To correct this, at once and forever, dig up the very soil in which the corruptive roots expanded—here was the way, the only way.
The Genius|Margaret Horton Potter
Your letter must be one of three kinds: pleading, peremptory, or corruptive.
Mr. Punch in Bohemia|Various

British Dictionary definitions for corrupt

corrupt

/ (kəˈrʌpt) /

adjective

lacking in integrity; open to or involving bribery or other dishonest practicesa corrupt official; corrupt practices in an election

morally depraved

putrid or rotten

contaminated; unclean

(of a text or manuscript) made meaningless or different in meaning from the original by scribal errors or alterations

(of computer programs or data) containing errors

verb

to become or cause to become dishonest or disloyal

to debase or become debased morally; deprave

(tr) to infect or contaminate; taint

(tr) to cause to become rotten

(tr) to alter (a text, manuscript, etc) from the original

(tr) computing to introduce errors into (data or a program)

Derived forms of corrupt

corrupter or corruptor, nouncorruptive, adjectivecorruptively, adverbcorruptly, adverb

corruptness, noun

Word Origin for corrupt

C14: from Latin corruptus spoiled, from corrumpere to ruin, literally: break to pieces, from rumpere to break

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

corrupt

OTHER WORDS FOR corrupt

Origin of corrupt

synonym study for corrupt

OTHER WORDS FROM corrupt

Words related to corrupt

How to use corrupt in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for corrupt

Derived forms of corrupt

Word Origin for corrupt