Standard Lemma guide

vitiate

verb · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American, UK: /ˈvɪʃ.i.eɪt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: V IY1 SH IH0 EY2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To spoil, make faulty; to reduce the value, quality, or effectiveness of something.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mess up, ruin, degrade, devalue, ball up, blight, bumble, botch, bugger up, bungle, contaminate, corrupt, crab, deprave, disrupt, disturb, foil, fuck up, jack up, mar, mishandle, mommick, pollute, put a crimp in, queer, screw up, soil, sour, spoil, stain, undo, upset, turn upside down, upset the applecart, vitiate, abase, avile, debase, debauch, depreciate, devaluate, dirty, elevate

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To debase or morally corrupt.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: immoralize, lead astray, warp, adulterate, corrupt, debauch, demoralize, detort, file, pervert, pollute, preposterate, seduce, sophisticate, suborn, subvert, tamper, unmoralize, vitiate

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To violate, to rape.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: abuse, outrage, viole, constuprate, defile, defoul, dishonour, force, misuse, oppress, pollute, rape, ravage, ravish, r-word, scotch, turn out, violate, vitiate, grape

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To make something ineffective, to invalidate.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: annul, nullify, void, abrogate, belay, cancel, cease, cross out, desist, forbid, invalidate, kill, queer, repeal, repress, revoke, stop, strike out, suppress, terminate, veto, vitiate

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

take away the legal force of or render ineffective

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • invalidate a contract

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: invalidate, void

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: change, alter, modify

6

verb

Meaning 6

make imperfect

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • nothing marred her beauty

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mar, impair, spoil, deflower

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: damage

Narrower terms: defile, sully, corrupt, taint, cloud, deface, disfigure, blemish

7

verb

Meaning 7

corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • debauch the young people with wine and women
  • Socrates was accused of corrupting young men
  • Do school counselors subvert young children?
  • corrupt the morals

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: corrupt, pervert, subvert, demoralize, demoralise, debauch, debase, profane, deprave, misdirect

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: change, alter, modify

Narrower terms: sensualize, sensualise, carnalize, carnalise, infect, lead off, lead astray, poison, bastardize, bastardise, suborn

History

Etymology

PIE word *dwóh1 From Latin vitiātus, the perfect passive participle of vitiō (“damage, spoil”), from vitium (“vice”).

Across languages

Translations

33 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: развалям (razvaljam) — to spoil
  • Bulgarian: повреждам (povreždam) — to spoil
  • Dutch: bederven — to spoil
  • Finnish: pilata — to spoil
  • Georgian: გაფუჭება (gapuč̣eba) — to spoil
  • Georgian: წახდენა (c̣axdena) — to spoil
  • German: beschädigen — to spoil
  • Hungarian: elront — to spoil
  • Hungarian: tönkretesz — to spoil
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: utarma — to spoil
  • Portuguese: viciar — to spoil
  • Russian: по́ртить (pórtitʹ) — to spoil
  • Russian: испо́ртить (ispórtitʹ) — to spoil
  • Ottoman Turkish: بوزمق (bozmak) — to spoil
  • Bulgarian: покварявам (pokvarjavam) — to debase or morally corrupt
  • Georgian: გარყვნა (garq̇vna) — to debase or morally corrupt
  • German: verderben — to debase or morally corrupt
  • Hungarian: megront — to debase or morally corrupt
  • Portuguese: viciar — to debase or morally corrupt
  • Russian: развраща́ть (razvraščátʹ) — to debase or morally corrupt
  • Russian: разврати́ть (razvratítʹ) — to debase or morally corrupt
  • Ottoman Turkish: بوزمق (bozmak) — to debase or morally corrupt
  • Georgian: გაუპატიურება (gauṗaṭiureba) — to violate, to rape
  • Hungarian: megerőszakol — to violate, to rape
  • Russian: наси́ловать (nasílovatʹ) — to violate, to rape
  • Russian: изнаси́ловать (iznasílovatʹ) — to violate, to rape
  • Russian: растлева́ть (rastlevátʹ) — to violate, to rape
  • Russian: растли́ть (rastlítʹ) — to violate, to rape
  • Finnish: mitätöidä — to invalidate
  • Georgian: გაუქმება (gaukmeba) — to invalidate
  • Hungarian: érvénytelenít — to invalidate
  • Hungarian: hatálytalanít — to invalidate
  • Ottoman Turkish: بوزمق (bozmak) — to invalidate