corrupt

corrupt — adjective

1. using an official position or authority in a dishonest way for personal gain, es

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

using an official position or authority in a dishonest way for personal gain, especially by accepting money or favours

Example

An inquiry found that Councillor Eli was corrupt and took money from a construction company.

collocation: corrupt councillor / corrupt official

The corrupt judge Ayesha released criminals in exchange for large cash payments.

collocation: corrupt judge

Common collocations
  • corrupt official
  • corrupt regime
  • corrupt system
  • corrupt government
  • corrupt politician
  • corrupt practice
Synonyms
  • dishonest

    broader term; dishonest can apply to anyone who lies or cheats, not just those in power

  • crooked

    informal; similar meaning but used in everyday conversation rather than formal writing

  • unscrupulous

    more formal and broader — describes anyone without moral principles, not necessarily in a position of power

Antonyms
  • honest

    direct opposite; truthful and fair in behaviour

  • upright

    more formal; describes someone with strong moral principles

Usage Note

Most commonly describes people in positions of authority — politicians, judges, police officers — and the systems they operate within.

Common Mistakes

The corrupt food made us ill.
The corrupt official accepted bribes from companies.
In modern English, 'corrupt' does not mean physically rotten or spoiled.

2. having low moral standards and behaving in ways that society considers wrong or

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

having low moral standards and behaving in ways that society considers wrong or evil

Example

Hui's novel follows a businessman who slowly becomes corrupt as his hunger for wealth grows.

becomes corrupt (change of moral state)

Élise left the corrupt world of advertising to work for a children's charity.

corrupt world of [industry]

Common collocations
  • corrupt world
  • corrupt society
  • corrupt lifestyle
  • corrupt heart
  • corrupt mind
Synonyms
  • immoral

    very similar meaning but slightly less severe; focuses on violation of moral rules

  • depraved

    stronger and more formal; suggests extreme wickedness or perversion

  • wicked

    more literary or religious in tone; suggests deliberate evil

Antonyms
  • moral

    direct opposite; following accepted standards of right and wrong

  • virtuous

    formal and idealistic; having high moral standards

Usage Note

Broader in scope than the ABUSE POWER sense — describes any morally bad behaviour or character, not limited to people in official positions.

Common Mistakes

The bad news made her feel corrupt.
The corrupt businessman had no respect for the law.
'Corrupt' describes a person's moral state, not an emotional reaction.

3. describes computer files or digital information that have been damaged or change

3.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes computer files or digital information that have been damaged or changed so that they no longer work correctly or show the right content

Example

Linh tried to open the file, but the screen showed a warning about corrupt data.

corrupt data / corrupt file

A sudden power cut left the document corrupt and completely unreadable.

Common collocations
  • corrupt data
  • corrupt file
  • corrupt sector
  • corrupt memory card
  • corrupt drive
  • corrupt database
Synonyms
  • damaged

    more general term; can describe any kind of harm to physical or digital objects

  • faulty

    suggests an inherent flaw rather than accidental damage

  • unusable

    focuses on the result rather than the cause; describes anything that cannot be used

Antonyms
  • intact

    complete and undamaged

  • clean

    informal computing term for data that is error-free and safe

Usage Note

This sense applies only to computers and digital media — it cannot describe physical objects that have been broken or damaged.

Common Mistakes

The corrupt table broke when I sat on it.
The corrupt file would not open in any program.
'Corrupt' for computer/digital damage only, not for physical objects.

corrupt — verb

Word family

  • corruption
    nounB2
  • corruptly
    adverbC1
  • corrupted
    adjectiveB2
  • corruptible
    adjectiveC1
  • incorruptible
    adjectiveC1
  • corruptive
    adjectiveC1
  • corrupter
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe a lack of honesty, but they differ in scope and formality. 'Corrupt' is the strongest and most specific — it nearly always involves abuse of power or position for personal gain, especially in government or business. 'Dishonest' is the most general term; anyone who lies, cheats, or steals is dishonest, whether they hold power or not. 'Crooked' is informal and often used in everyday speech about shady deals or untrustworthy people ('a crooked lawyer'). 'Unscrupulous' focuses on a person's lack of moral principles rather than illegal acts — an unscrupulous journalist might invade someone's privacy without breaking the law. For example: 'A corrupt judge sells verdicts; a dishonest waiter lies about the change; a crooked builder cuts corners; an unscrupulous reporter publishes private photos without permission.'

dishonest ↗crooked ↗unscrupulouscorrupt ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • deeply corrupt
  • utterly corrupt
  • hopelessly corrupt
  • systematically corrupt

Phrases

  • corrupt to the core

Prepositions

  • corrupted by
  • corrupt from within

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

The word 'corrupt' comes from Latin 'corruptus', the past participle of 'corrumpere', meaning 'to destroy, spoil, or break'. This Latin verb was formed by combining 'com-' (a prefix meaning 'together', used here for emphasis) with 'rumpere' (meaning 'to break'). So the original image is of something being 'broken to pieces' or 'completely destroyed'. The word entered English through Old French in the 14th century, first carrying the sense of moral decay and later extending to the physical spoiling of food and, in modern times, the damaging of digital data.