1
as in to taint
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
believed that luxury vitiates even the most principled person
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2
as in to mar
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
numerous grammatical errors vitiate the effectiveness of your writing
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of vitiate
Brazil’s and Colombia’s efforts to mediate between Maduro’s government and the opposition have floundered, and their desire to appear neutral in the name of dialogue has vitiated their ability to act on principle.
—
Christopher Sabatini, Foreign Affairs, 9 Oct. 2024
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.
—Kristine Gill, Fortune, 4 Sep. 2024
His lawyers contend that the case was tainted by violations of Trump’s constitutional rights and that the verdict is vitiated by the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling.
—Michael R. Sisak, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for vitiate
Christopher Sabatini, Foreign Affairs, 9 Oct. 2024
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.
—Kristine Gill, Fortune, 4 Sep. 2024
His lawyers contend that the case was tainted by violations of Trump’s constitutional rights and that the verdict is vitiated by the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling.
—Michael R. Sisak, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for vitiate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vitiate
Verb
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Their prosecution was tainted by multiple constitutional violations and political bias.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
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White died nine days later on Nov. 21 The best friend of a British woman who died after drinking alcohol that authorities suspect was tainted with methanol while visiting Laos is speaking out.—
Becca Longmire,
People.com,
27 May 2025
Verb
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However, relatively decent growth fueled by Putin's record military spending has been marred by inflation and a worker shortage impacted by those fleeing the draft and troop losses in Ukraine as experts warn of longer terms problems for the economy.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 May 2025
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Lynch’s first winter as CEO was marred by long lift lines and employee shortages driven by COVID-19.—
Kurt Badenhausen,
Sportico.com,
27 May 2025
Verb
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Israeli forces are expected to continue their campaign to eliminate remaining Hamas leaders and degrade the group's military capabilities.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 May 2025
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Israel has significantly weakened Hezbollah over the past year, killing much of its top leadership and severely degrading its power through mass airstrikes.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
28 May 2025
Verb
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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
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Farmers’ broiler chickens suffocate, and dairy products spoil.—
Monica Mark,
The Christian Science Monitor,
10 Feb. 2023
Verb
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The woman also was seriously injured in the crash and was taken to a hospital by ambulance.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 May 2025
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Several people were injured in a boat crash in the Hamptons on Sunday night, and the boat’s captain was arrested for boating under the influence, police said.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
26 May 2025
Verb
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Bias, inaccuracies and missing values can all weaken model reliability.—
Tor Constantino,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
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Coercing democratic allies such as Canada or Denmark more broadly weakens trust in U.S. alliances; threatening Panama reawakens fears of imperialism throughout Latin America; crippling the U.S. Agency for International Development undercuts the United States’ reputation for benevolence.—
Robert O. Keohane,
Foreign Affairs,
2 June 2025
Verb
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As the film unfolds, Wilson finds out that Sterns, the movie's villain, has been the mastermind behind the entire plot and has been poisoning Ross with gamma rays via pills for years.—
Caroline Blair,
People.com,
28 May 2025
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Intermediately, because a member of Ethan’s team, Claire (Emmanuelle Béart) has poisoned Donloe, which results in Donloe having some pretty intense gastrointestinal reactions.—
Mike Ryan,
IndieWire,
27 May 2025
Verb
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The fire began on the third floor, severely damaging the entire level, while water damage affected the floors below.—
Samantha Moilanen,
Chicago Tribune,
28 May 2025
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In addition to direct contact, Toxoplasma may also damage sperm because the infection promotes chronic inflammation.—
Bill Sullivan,
The Conversation,
28 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vitiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vitiate. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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