corruption

[ kuh-ruhp-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act of corrupting or state of being corrupt.

   Antonyms: purity

2. moral perversion; depravity.

   Synonyms: immorality, dissolution

   Antonyms: purity

3. perversion of integrity.

   Antonyms: honesty, purity

4. corrupt or dishonest proceedings.

   Antonyms: honesty

5. bribery.
6. debasement or alteration, as of language or a text.
7. a debased form of a word.
8. putrefactive decay; rottenness.

   Synonyms: putrescence, contamination, pollution, foulness, putrefaction, rot

9. any corrupting influence or agency.
10. Computers. the state of being compromised by errors in computer code or stored data, or an action that causes such errors:

    The system crash was the result of previously undetected data corruption.

corruption

/ kəˈrʌpʃən /

noun

1. the act of corrupting or state of being corrupt
2. moral perversion; depravity
3. dishonesty, esp bribery
4. putrefaction or decay
5. alteration, as of a manuscript
6. an altered form of a word

Derived Forms

• corˈruptionist, noun

Other Words From

• anti·cor·ruption noun adjective
• over·cor·ruption noun
• precor·ruption noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of corruption¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English cor(r)upcio(u)n, from Middle French, from Latin corruptiōn-, stem of corruptiō; corrupt, -ion

Example Sentences

There have been several high profile cases this year which convey the problem of prison officer corruption.

From BBC

A prison officer who doesn't want to be identified who works in a different, government-run English jail, told us it's unsurprising to hear about staff corruption.

From BBC

Corruption inside prisons is now "a greater problem than it has ever been," according to John Podmore, a former governor of several large prisons, including HMP Belmarsh and HMP Brixton, both in London.

From BBC

If Trump’s first term is any indicator, the next four years will be an unmitigated mess of infighting, corruption, revolving door staff, facile demands and fragile egotism.

From Los Angeles Times

Above all, committed to breaking what her campaign called the Curse of CD 14: over 50 years of council members who got caught up in corruption, used the seat as a stepping stone to higher office or just neglected neighborhoods altogether.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bribery
• crime
• exploitation
• extortion
• fraud
• graft
• malfeasance
• nepotism