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Synonym Chooser

How is the word vitiate different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of vitiate are corrupt, debase, debauch, deprave, and pervert. While all these words mean "to cause deterioration or lowering in quality or character," vitiate implies a destruction of purity, validity, or effectiveness by allowing entrance of a fault or defect.

a foreign policy vitiated by partisanship

When can corrupt be used instead of vitiate?

In some situations, the words corrupt and vitiate are roughly equivalent. However, corrupt implies loss of soundness, purity, or integrity.

the belief that bureaucratese corrupts the language

When is it sensible to use debase instead of vitiate?

While the synonyms debase and vitiate are close in meaning, debase implies a loss of position, worth, value, or dignity.

commercialism has debased the holiday

When would debauch be a good substitute for vitiate?

The synonyms debauch and vitiate are sometimes interchangeable, but debauch implies a debasing through sensual indulgence.

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

When could deprave be used to replace vitiate?

The words deprave and vitiate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, deprave implies moral deterioration by evil thoughts or influences.

the claim that society is depraved by pornography

When might pervert be a better fit than vitiate?

The words pervert and vitiate can be used in similar contexts, but pervert implies a twisting or distorting from what is natural or normal.

perverted the original goals of the institute

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of vitiate The bill vitiates the existing legal agreements between the parties as to the calculation of re-setting of the ground lease rent and removes all leverage in negotiations. Anita W. Laremont, New York Daily News, 14 May 2024 Yet, the Biden Justice Department’s infighting and foot-dragging caused the statute of limitations for the 2014 and 2015 tax years to lapse, vitiating some of the investigation’s key allegations. The Editors, National Review, 21 July 2023 And, especially relevant to Edelman in this case: Is it vitiated by bad motives? Jesse Green, New York Times, 27 June 2023 His arguments were later challenged by critics who argued that new information and communication technologies vitiated the advantages of corporate size and hierarchical control. Barry Eichengreen, Foreign Affairs, 6 Sep. 2022 See All Example Sentences for vitiate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vitiate
Verb
  • Digital evidence may have been tainted after it was removed from the crime scene by prominent Pennsylvania Judge James Schwartzman, the uncle of Greenberg's fiancé.
    Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 16 Feb. 2025
  • Crew and passenger behavior, breadth of activities, weather, operations — these are just some of the things that can taint love when on an ocean or river cruise.
    David Dickstein, Orange County Register, 5 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Audio issues occasionally marred the broadcast, including brief interruptions of Fonda’s speech.
    Jake Coyle, Orlando Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2025
  • But a New York Times analysis of the $55 billion in savings claimed by DOGE found that the math is marred with accounting errors, incorrect assumptions, outdated data and other mistakes.
    Talmon Joseph Smith, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • The conspiratorial right aims to degrade the state’s ability to collect taxes, conduct diplomacy, prosecute violations of civil rights, and otherwise carry out its duties.
    Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
  • In sum, proper use of AI should be encouraged, as opposed to this case where the D grade appeared to degrade its use.
    Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 20 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Dodge won't spoil the surprise by confirming if the last one will be based on the Charger or the Challenger (or maybe both), but the evidence suggests the latter is more likely.
    Jack Fitzgerald, Car and Driver, 13 Feb. 2023
  • Farmers’ broiler chickens suffocate, and dairy products spoil.
    Monica Mark, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Feb. 2023
Verb
  • None of the 60 employees inside SPS Technologies, which manufactures fasteners mainly for the aerospace industry, was injured after explosions set off the fire.
    Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2025
  • None of the vehicle occupants reported being injured, state police said.
    Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 19 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • In the fourth quarter of 2024, WK Kellogg reported net sales of $640 million, a decrease of 1.7% compared to $651 million in the same period in 2023, impacted by a 5.6% volume decline and a 40 basis point headwind from the weakening Canadian dollar.
    Joe Cornell, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
  • But the Trump administration's new cuts further weaken a banking watchdog that has been sounding the alarm for years about its decreasing ability to prevent future banking crises.
    Maria Aspan, NPR, 27 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Bolsonaro, the former far-right leader, is accused of plotting a coup to stay in power, inciting violence and hatching a plan to poison the current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
    Brittney Melton, NPR, 19 Feb. 2025
  • Lula was to be poisoned, while Moraes was to be shot by special forces, according to the indictment.
    Brady Knox, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 19 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • The Hoover Desk During former President Herbert Hoover's presidency in 1929, a fire severely damaged the West Wing of the White House, including the Oval Office.
    Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2025
  • To avoid damaging your countertop cooker, stick to a soft cloth like microfiber or a nonabrasive sponge when giving the inside a wipe down.
    Emily Farris, Bon Appétit, 21 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Vitiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vitiate. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

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