1
as in to taint
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
believed that luxury vitiates even the most principled person
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to mar
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
numerous grammatical errors vitiate the effectiveness of your writing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to degrade
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
a penchant for coarse language vitiates what is otherwise a refined literary style
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 vitiate
His lawyers contend the case was tainted by violations of Trump's constitutional rights and that the verdict is vitiated by the Supreme Court's immunity ruling.
—
CBS News, 3 Sep. 2024
The bill vitiates the existing legal agreements between the parties as to the calculation of re-setting of the ground lease rent and removes all leverage in negotiations.
—Anita W. Laremont, New York Daily News, 14 May 2024
Yet, the Biden Justice Department’s infighting and foot-dragging caused the statute of limitations for the 2014 and 2015 tax years to lapse, vitiating some of the investigation’s key allegations.
—The Editors, National Review, 21 July 2023
And, especially relevant to Edelman in this case: Is it vitiated by bad motives?
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 27 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for vitiate
CBS News, 3 Sep. 2024
The bill vitiates the existing legal agreements between the parties as to the calculation of re-setting of the ground lease rent and removes all leverage in negotiations.
—Anita W. Laremont, New York Daily News, 14 May 2024
Yet, the Biden Justice Department’s infighting and foot-dragging caused the statute of limitations for the 2014 and 2015 tax years to lapse, vitiating some of the investigation’s key allegations.
—The Editors, National Review, 21 July 2023
And, especially relevant to Edelman in this case: Is it vitiated by bad motives?
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 27 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for vitiate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vitiate
Verb
-
In its letter, the committee said that Albanese’s rhetoric tainted both the U.N. as an institution and her own position.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
5 Apr. 2025
-
Cena's victory, following Mysterio's earlier match, tainted Mysterio's win and shifted focus to Cena's confrontation with the returning CM Punk, overshadowing Mysterio's moment.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The dashboard was part of an extended pressure campaign from Buttigieg, who, during his tenure in the Biden administration, publicly challenged the major carriers to improve service and transparency—particularly after a summer marred by cancellations and flight delays.—
Bailey Berg,
AFAR Media,
8 Apr. 2025
-
What to Know Artists like Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift have previously clashed with ticketing platforms, with Swift's 2022 tour marred by widespread ticket access issues.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Thimerosal degrades into ethylmercury, which was judged not to be a danger at the level that would come from a vaccine.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2025
-
The quality degrades a bit after the sun goes down.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
29 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Dodge won't spoil the surprise by confirming if the last one will be based on the Charger or the Challenger (or maybe both), but the evidence suggests the latter is more likely.—
Jack Fitzgerald,
Car and Driver,
13 Feb. 2023
-
Farmers’ broiler chickens suffocate, and dairy products spoil.—
Monica Mark,
The Christian Science Monitor,
10 Feb. 2023
Verb
-
Boosie Badazz is counting his blessings after walking away from a massive car crash in Georgia that left multiple drivers and passengers injured.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
8 Apr. 2025
-
At least 31 people were killed, 27 others were injured and some 70 homes were burned before security forces arrived and repelled the gangs, killing at least 23 gunmen, the mission said.—
DÁNICA COTO THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
One way that could happen would be for foreign countries to weaken their currency to make the same product cheaper in dollars for tariff purposes, without raising the end cost to the consumer.—
Brendan Coffey,
Sportico.com,
4 Apr. 2025
-
More broadly, consumer sentiment has declined and retail sales growth has weakened, reflecting the uncertainty of customers over where the economy is headed.—
Harry Holzer,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Until Henry momentarily excuses himself from the table, that is, and the person or persons behind these winky-wink messages tell her to poison Henry ASAP or the menacing guy currently hiding in her apartment will kill her boy.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
10 Apr. 2025
-
Calls to poison control centers for pediatric melatonin ingestion increased 530 percent between 2012 and 2021, according to one analysis published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Their son and daughter-in-law, Cameron Bott, 35, and his wife, Diana, 36, whose nearby home was damaged in the tornado, initiated a discussion about starting a GoFundMe to offset potential insurance shortfalls in rebuilding the gas station.—
Tammy Ljungblad,
Kansas City Star,
9 Apr. 2025
-
Thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed, including entire apartment complexes and trailer parks that were swept away by flash floods.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vitiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vitiate. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share