deprave

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /dɪˈpreɪv/ UK /dɪˈpreɪv/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to corrupt morally; to make wicked or perverted

He argued that violent spectacle gradually depraves its audience.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to corrupt morally; to make... corrupt pervert debase degrade defile vitiate debauch

Opposites

purify elevate reform ennoble

Word family

Forms depravesdepraving

Derived forms depraved depravity depravation depravedness

Related forms depravitypravity

Simplified etymology

Deprave comes from Latin depravare, formed from de- “down, thoroughly” and pravus “crooked, perverse.” Its early English senses included “pervert the meaning or intention of something” and “find fault with or condemn.”

Etymology

From Old French depraver, from Latin depravare ('to corrupt, pervert, distort'), from de- (intensive) plus pravus ('crooked, wrong').

depravare Latin pravus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# deprave

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /dɪˈpreɪv/
**IPA (UK):** /dɪˈpreɪv/

## Meanings
1. to corrupt morally; to make wicked or perverted

## Examples
- He argued that violent spectacle gradually depraves its audience.

## Synonyms
- corrupt
- pervert
- debase
- degrade
- defile
- vitiate
- debauch

## Antonyms
- purify
- elevate
- reform
- ennoble

## Derived Forms
- depraved
- depravity
- depravation
- depravedness

## Related Forms
- depravity
- pravity

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: depravare
- Root: pravus

## Etymology
From Old French depraver, from Latin depravare ('to corrupt, pervert, distort'), from de- (intensive) plus pravus ('crooked, wrong').

## AI Etymology
Deprave is from Old French depraver, from Latin depravare ('to corrupt, pervert, distort'), from de- (intensive) plus pravus ('crooked, wrong'). Important recorded forms include depravare (Latin) and pravus (Latin). The current sense covers to corrupt morally; to make wicked or perverted. The wider family includes derived forms such as depraved, depravity, depravation, and depravedness and related words such as depravity and pravity.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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