1
as in decomposition
the process by which dead organic matter separates into simpler substances
the ancient Egyptians used special preservatives to spare their dead from complete corruption
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in degradation
a sinking to a state of low moral standards and behavior
the corruption of the upper classes eventually led to the fall of the Roman empire
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in immorality
immoral conduct or practices harmful or offensive to society
Socrates was put to death because the ancient Athenians believed he was spreading corruption to their youth
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 corruption
Under existing law, lawmakers can lose their pensions if convicted of a federal crime that relates to public corruption, espionage, treason or several other national security offenses.
—
Anna Liss-Roy The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 27 Apr. 2026
As head of the criminal division, Glockner oversaw cases involving financial fraud, public corruption, cybercrime, national security and violent crime, according to a release from his former employer, Exelon.
—Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
As the city's inspector general, Glockner would lead the city's top watchdog agency, tasked with investigating corruption, waste, and fraud at all levels of city government.
—Todd Feurer, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
But then Johnson pivoted to corruption, a touchy subject in Mexico.
—Steve Fisher, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for corruption
Anna Liss-Roy The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 27 Apr. 2026
As head of the criminal division, Glockner oversaw cases involving financial fraud, public corruption, cybercrime, national security and violent crime, according to a release from his former employer, Exelon.
—Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
As the city's inspector general, Glockner would lead the city's top watchdog agency, tasked with investigating corruption, waste, and fraud at all levels of city government.
—Todd Feurer, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
But then Johnson pivoted to corruption, a touchy subject in Mexico.
—Steve Fisher, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for corruption
Recent Examples of Synonyms for corruption
Noun
-
Cutting up large or coarse ingredients like banana peels will speed up their decomposition.—
Jessica Damiano,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Turn the pile regularly to aerate the pile and speed up decomposition.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The development solves the long-standing issues of material degradation and leakage (crossover) by re-engineering the iron complex at the molecular level.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Dark glass bottles protect the oil from light degradation, which breaks down the compounds responsible for those benefits.—
Allison Palmer,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Following this tendency might finally cure us not only of indigestion but also the ancient immorality of eating other organisms.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Consider this evilmeister’s brazen acts of treason and revenge, unbounded deceit, swinish immorality and negative role modeling.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Decadence is sensuality and impotence, opulence and decay.—
Olivia Kan-Sperling,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
-
The human brain’s neurons experience similar modes of decay, and so, too, do our downstream behaviors.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
Song of the Goddess, 1992, which Pau made while living in New York, is a tribute to the secret real-life romance between two female Cantonese opera stars, Yam Kim-fai and Pak Suet-sin.—
Pauline J. Yao,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
-
What’s a worse sin/crime — declaring an obvious murder a suicide to protect a perverted crony?—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Recognizing evil isn’t always so easy.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
-
In Times of Dragons [Universal/Fontana] Dealing with demons is nothing new for Tori Amos, but on her 18th studio album, there’s little that’s figurative about the struggle between human good and Trumpian evil.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Denver author Josiah Hesse was raised by Evangelical parents in churches that believe in the torments of hell, that their poverty is due to their sinfulness and lack of faith.—
Sandra Dallas,
Denver Post,
1 Feb. 2026
-
This lawless crew shares dramaturgical DNA with the vice figures from medieval morality plays, personifications of sinfulness who would confide their schemes to the audience and make theatergoers their co-conspirators in a riveting game that obviously left its mark on a young Shakespeare.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
That was really what helped me into the character and into her evilness.—
William Earl,
Variety,
4 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Corruption.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/corruption. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
