English Explanatory Dictionary

corruption

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The act of corrupting or of impairing integrity, virtue, or moral principle; the state of being corrupted or debased; loss of purity or integrity.
  2. The act of corrupting or making putrid, or state of being corrupt or putrid; decomposition or disorganization, in the process of putrefaction; putrefaction; deterioration.
  3. The product of corruption; putrid matter.
  4. The decomposition of biological matter.
  5. Unethical administrative or executive practices (in government or business), including bribery (offering or receiving bribes), conflicts of interest, nepotism, embezzlement, and so on.
  6. The destruction of data by manipulation of parts of it, either by deliberate or accidental human action or by imperfections in storage or transmission media.
  7. The act of changing, or of being changed, for the worse; departure from what is pure, simple, or correct.
  8. A nonstandard form of a word, expression, or text, especially when resulting from misunderstanding, transcription error, or mishearing. (See a usage note about this sense.)
  9. Something originally good or pure that has turned evil or impure; a perversion.

Pronunciation

/kəˈɹʌpʃən/ en-us-corruption.ogg

Word forms

corruption corruptions

Etymology

Borrowed from French corruption, from Latin corruptiō, equivalent to corrupt + -ion.

Synonyms

rent-seeking abasement adulteration corruption debasement debauchment defilement depravation depravement impurification perversion pollution profanation depravity wickedness impurity bribery evil sinfulness baseness degeneracy degradation depravedness iniquity lewdity malignity misdoing misguilt obliquity peccability pravity sin turpitude vitiation wrongdoing contamination dirtying soiling tainting graft decay decomposition deterioration putrefaction rotting putrescence rot venality worsening aggravation degeneration devolution embasement exacerbation ruining withering wrecking destroying spoiling erosion

Antonyms

exaltation expiation preservation purgation purification rehabilitation

Related words

corruptocracy contamination deterioration desecration

Derived words

anti-corruption anticorruption corruptioneer corruptionist corruptionless corruption of blood countercorruption incorruption noncorruption recorruption uncorruption
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