deprave

American  

[dih-preyv] / dɪˈpreɪv /

verb (used with object)

depraved, depraving

1. to make morally bad or evil; vitiate; corrupt.

2. Obsolete. to defame.

---

deprave British  

/ ˌdɛprəˈveɪʃən, dɪˈpreɪv /

verb

1. to make morally bad; corrupt; vitiate

2. obsolete to defame; slander

---

Other Word Forms

• depravation noun
• depraver noun
• depravingly adverb
• nondepravation noun

Etymology

Origin of deprave

1325–75; Middle English depraven (< Anglo-French ) < Latin dēprāvāre to pervert, corrupt, equivalent to dē- de- + prāv ( us ) crooked + -āre infinitive suffix

Example Sentences

But even people who are really depraved have something they love, he says.

From BBC

Intimately acquainted with Richard’s malignity, these ruined royals know only too well the toll of his depraved machinations.

From Los Angeles Times

Judge John Dodd KC told Wood Green Crown Court that Chan was a "perverse and depraved" man who had "clearly lost all sense of moral compass".

From BBC

“I apologize to all who were hurt by this clearly terrible and depraved individual.”

From Los Angeles Times

"It leaves me with a pit in my stomach. It's disgusting, it's depraved, it's exploitative, it's utterly disrespectful."

From BBC