deprave

Definition of depravenext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word deprave different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of deprave are corrupt, debase, debauch, pervert, and vitiate. While all these words mean "to cause deterioration or lowering in quality or character," deprave implies moral deterioration by evil thoughts or influences.

the claim that society is depraved by pornography

Where would corrupt be a reasonable alternative to deprave?

The meanings of corrupt and deprave largely overlap; however, corrupt implies loss of soundness, purity, or integrity.

the belief that bureaucratese corrupts the language

When can debase be used instead of deprave?

While the synonyms debase and deprave are close in meaning, debase implies a loss of position, worth, value, or dignity.

commercialism has debased the holiday

In what contexts can debauch take the place of deprave?

Although the words debauch and deprave have much in common, debauch implies a debasing through sensual indulgence.

the long stay on a tropical isle had debauched the ship's crew

When might pervert be a better fit than deprave?

In some situations, the words pervert and deprave are roughly equivalent. However, pervert implies a twisting or distorting from what is natural or normal.

perverted the original goals of the institute

When is vitiate a more appropriate choice than deprave?

While in some cases nearly identical to deprave, vitiate implies a destruction of purity, validity, or effectiveness by allowing entrance of a fault or defect.

a foreign policy vitiated by partisanship

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 deprave Online court records show he is charged with first-degree murder dangerous depraved without premeditation. Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 2 Apr. 2026 Murdering a teenaged iconic athlete shows how deeply depraved the Iranian leadership is. Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 19 Mar. 2026 Trump's No Kings video was truly depraved. Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 20 Oct. 2025 DiCaprio has played disturbed and depraved individuals in Scorsese’s films before, but Killers of the Flower Moon is something different. Tim Grierson, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025 This is especially true when the news operation is clearly on the side of righteousness against a policy as depraved this. David Zurawik, baltimoresun.com, 15 June 2018 McDonagh complicates Mildred's story by showing how the lust for justice can grow depraved the longer it is denied — a favorite subject of dramatists going back to Aeschylus. Charles McNulty, latimes.com, 1 Mar. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deprave
Verb
  • Forgetting his bond with the land, Mariano awakens the Ch’iqmi, a dark force that corrupts his people.
    Kevin Giraud, Variety, 25 June 2026
  • Lander has argued Goldman, the multimillionaire heir to the Levi jeans fortune, embodies establishment, corporate interests that corrupt the Democratic Party.
    Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 23 June 2026
Verb
  • When temperatures rise, heat can quietly degrade pantry staples, making refrigeration essential to preserve quality and flavor.
    Anne Wolf, Martha Stewart, 1 July 2026
  • If leaders are not present and actively developing people, the system degrades—quietly at first, then all at once.
    Brian Coyne, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Verb
  • Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty Images BEIJING — China’s consumer spending slowdown persisted in June, with growth during one of the country’s largest online shopping festivals weakening sharply from a year earlier.
    Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 23 June 2026
  • All three of those protagonists have been weakened in their roles by what has gone on.
    Nasser Hussain, New York Times, 23 June 2026
Verb
  • And regular Kate Moss’s turn on the decks one memorable, and debauched, night in 2015 had revelers literally swinging from the chandeliers.
    Nick Scott, Robb Report, 13 June 2026
  • In its archetypal form, the seduction plot features a sybaritic aristocrat who attempts to debauch an upstanding daughter of the bourgeoisie.
    Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Verb
  • The trial collapsed after the journalist was found to have tampered with evidence (he was later convicted of perverting the course of justice).
    K.J. Yossman, Variety, 23 June 2026
  • An English police officer faces a criminal investigation for allegedly using AI to create evidential material, a UK first that Derbyshire Constabulary calls perverting the course of justice.
    Lars Daniel, Forbes.com, 15 June 2026
Verb
  • Some of that sentiment reflects the fact that the president and those around him subvert the rule of law, decency, and democratic restraints.
    Peter Wehner, The Atlantic, 4 July 2026
  • The Sedition Act of 1918, which subverted the Bill of Rights, imposed penalties for anti-government expression.
    Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 1 July 2026
Verb
  • Israel must leave humiliated and defeated — and that is exactly what will happen.
    Mark Osborne, CBS News, 26 June 2026
  • Instead of demanding personal fealty or humiliating them to assert personal dominance, Lincoln absorbed their egos and occasional slights, elevating their talents and turning his fiercest political adversaries into his most devoted champions.
    Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 24 June 2026
Verb
  • The special bond between Supergirl and her scruffy animal sidekick becomes a key plot point in Kara’s new solo movie, where Krypto is poisoned by space outlaw Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts).
    Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
  • Kara Zor-El (Alcock) goes on a planet-hopping mission to save her beloved Krypto – with young and vengeful girl Ruthye (Eve Ridley) in tow – after he’s poisoned by the villainous Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts).
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 27 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Deprave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deprave. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

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