vitiate

verb

vi·​ti·​ate ˈvi-shē-ˌāt How to pronounce vitiate (audio)
vitiated; vitiating

transitive verb

1
: to make faulty or defective : impair
the comic impact is vitiated by obvious hasteWilliam Styron
2
: to debase in moral or aesthetic status
a mind vitiated by prejudice
3
: to make ineffective
fraud vitiates a contract
vitiation noun
vitiator noun

Did you know?

If you’re itching to find fault with the word vitiate, you don’t have to look far—the word comes ultimately from the Latin noun vitium, which refers to a fault, vice, shortcoming, or impediment to success or perfection. Accordingly, vitiate—like its fellow vitium-descended v-words vituperate ("to use harsh, condemning language"), vicious, and vice—has a negative bent. To vitiate something is, essentially, to mar or damage it in some way, whether by ruining or spoiling it ("a joke vitiated by poor timing"), corrupting it morally ("a mind vitiated by prejudice"), or rendering it null or ineffective ("fraud that vitiates a contract"). Despite its versatility, vitiate is most effective when used in formal speech and writing; that is to say, those who drop it into a construction like "a sandwich vitiated by too much peanut butter" may find themselves subject to some mild vituperation.

Choose the Right Synonym for vitiate

debase, vitiate, deprave, corrupt, debauch, pervert mean to cause deterioration or lowering in quality or character.

debase implies a loss of position, worth, value, or dignity.

commercialism has debased the holiday

vitiate implies a destruction of purity, validity, or effectiveness by allowing entrance of a fault or defect.

a foreign policy vitiated by partisanship

deprave implies moral deterioration by evil thoughts or influences.

the claim that society is depraved by pornography

corrupt implies loss of soundness, purity, or integrity.

the belief that bureaucratese corrupts the language

debauch implies a debasing through sensual indulgence.

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

pervert implies a twisting or distorting from what is natural or normal.

perverted the original goals of the institute

Examples of vitiate in a Sentence

The impact of the film was vitiated by poor acting. believed that luxury vitiates even the most principled person
Recent Examples on the Web Brazil’s and Colombia’s efforts to mediate between Maduro’s government and the opposition have floundered, and their desire to appear neutral in the name of dialogue has vitiated their ability to act on principle. Christopher Sabatini, Foreign Affairs, 9 Oct. 2024 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. Kristine Gill, Fortune, 4 Sep. 2024 His lawyers contend that the case was tainted by violations of Trump’s constitutional rights and that the verdict is vitiated by the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling. Michael R. Sisak, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2024 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 See all Example Sentences for vitiate 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'vitiate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin vitiatus, past participle of vitiare, from vitium fault, vice

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of vitiate was in 1534

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Dictionary Entries Near vitiate

Cite this Entry

“Vitiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vitiate. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

vitiate

verb
vi·​ti·​ate ˈvish-ē-ˌāt How to pronounce vitiate (audio)
vitiated; vitiating
1
: to harm the quality of : spoil
grammatical errors vitiated the impact of her writing
2
: to destroy the effect or force of
fraud vitiates a contract
vitiation noun

Legal Definition

vitiate

transitive verb
vi·​ti·​ate ˈvi-shē-ˌāt How to pronounce vitiate (audio)
vitiated; vitiating
: to make ineffective
fraud vitiates a contract

More from Merriam-Webster on vitiate

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