vitiate Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. verb corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality
    pervert; debase; profane; misdirect; subvert; debauch; deprave; corrupt; demoralise; demoralize.
    • debauch the young people with wine and women
    • Socrates was accused of corrupting young men
    • Do school counselors subvert young children?
    • corrupt the morals
  2. verb make imperfect
    impair; mar; deflower; spoil.
    • nothing marred her beauty
  3. verb take away the legal force of or render ineffective
    invalidate; void.
    • invalidate a contract

WordNet

Vi"ti*ate transitive verb
Etymology
L. vitiatus, p. p. vitiare to vitiate, fr. vitium a fault, vice. See Vice a fault.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Vitiated ; present participle & verbal noun Vitiating
Definitions
  1. To make vicious, faulty, or imperfect; to render defective; to injure the substance or qualities of; to impair; to contaminate; to spoil; as, exaggeration vitiates a style of writing; sewer gas vitiates the air.
    A will vitiated and growth out of love with the truth disposes the understanding to error and delusion. South.
    Without care it may be used to vitiate our minds. Burke.
    This undistinguishing complaisance will vitiate the taste of readers. Garth.
  2. To cause to fail of effect, either wholly or in part; to make void; to destroy, as the validity or binding force of an instrument or transaction; to annul; as, any undue influence exerted on a jury vitiates their verdict; fraud vitiates a contract.

Webster 1913