corrupt

corrupt — adjective

1. using an official position or authority in a dishonest way for personal gain, es

1.形容詞B2
釋義

using an official position or authority in a dishonest way for personal gain, especially by accepting money or favours

例句

An inquiry found that Councillor Eli was corrupt and took money from a construction company.

collocation: corrupt councillor / corrupt official

The corrupt judge Ayesha released criminals in exchange for large cash payments.

collocation: corrupt judge

同義詞
  • dishonest

    broader term; dishonest can apply to anyone who lies or cheats, not just those in power

  • crooked

    informal; similar meaning but used in everyday conversation rather than formal writing

  • unscrupulous

    more formal and broader — describes anyone without moral principles, not necessarily in a position of power

反義詞
  • honest

    direct opposite; truthful and fair in behaviour

  • upright

    more formal; describes someone with strong moral principles

用法筆記

Most commonly describes people in positions of authority — politicians, judges, police officers — and the systems they operate within.

常見錯誤

❌The corrupt food made us ill.
✅The corrupt official accepted bribes from companies.
💡In modern English, 'corrupt' does not mean physically rotten or spoiled.

2. having low moral standards and behaving in ways that society considers wrong or

2.形容詞C1
釋義

having low moral standards and behaving in ways that society considers wrong or evil

例句

Hui's novel follows a businessman who slowly becomes corrupt as his hunger for wealth grows.

becomes corrupt (change of moral state)

Élise left the corrupt world of advertising to work for a children's charity.

corrupt world of [industry]

同義詞
  • immoral

    very similar meaning but slightly less severe; focuses on violation of moral rules

  • depraved

    stronger and more formal; suggests extreme wickedness or perversion

  • wicked

    more literary or religious in tone; suggests deliberate evil

反義詞
  • moral

    direct opposite; following accepted standards of right and wrong

  • virtuous

    formal and idealistic; having high moral standards

用法筆記

Broader in scope than the ABUSE POWER sense — describes any morally bad behaviour or character, not limited to people in official positions.

常見錯誤

❌The bad news made her feel corrupt.
✅The corrupt businessman had no respect for the law.
💡'Corrupt' describes a person's moral state, not an emotional reaction.

3. describes computer files or digital information that have been damaged or change

3.形容詞B2
釋義

describes computer files or digital information that have been damaged or changed so that they no longer work correctly or show the right content

例句

Linh tried to open the file, but the screen showed a warning about corrupt data.

corrupt data / corrupt file

A sudden power cut left the document corrupt and completely unreadable.

同義詞
  • damaged

    more general term; can describe any kind of harm to physical or digital objects

  • faulty

    suggests an inherent flaw rather than accidental damage

  • unusable

    focuses on the result rather than the cause; describes anything that cannot be used

反義詞
  • intact

    complete and undamaged

  • clean

    informal computing term for data that is error-free and safe

用法筆記

This sense applies only to computers and digital media — it cannot describe physical objects that have been broken or damaged.

常見錯誤

❌The corrupt table broke when I sat on it.
✅The corrupt file would not open in any program.
💡'Corrupt' for computer/digital damage only, not for physical objects.

corrupt — verb