Meaning & use
corruptible
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Meaning
adjectivenot comparable
Able to be persuaded to act dishonestly, especially by money or personal gain.
Grammar: Describes a person or system that can be corrupted; used after linking verbs like be, seem, become. Not usually used in the comparative.
Patterns
- corruptible by someone
- corruptible through something
- seem corruptible
The inspector was corruptible, and a small bribe was enough to make him ignore the safety violations.
In the novel, the young politician is portrayed as idealistic but ultimately corruptible.
No system is completely safe if the people running it are corruptible.
Common combinations
- corruptible official
- The report accused several corruptible officials of taking money from construction companies.
- morally corruptible
- He believed that young people were morally corruptible and needed strong guidance.
- corruptible by power
- Even honest leaders can become corruptible by power if there are no checks.
- easily corruptible
- The low-paid clerks were easily corruptible.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bribable
- More specific: it means willing to accept money to do something dishonest, while corruptible can also mean open to other kinds of improper influence.
- venal
- Formal and stronger; it suggests a person is actually willing to be dishonest for money, not just capable of it.
Opposites
Word family
- corrupt adjective
- Willing to act dishonestly in return for money or power.
- corrupt verb
- To make someone dishonest or to damage something morally.
- corruption noun
- Dishonest behavior by people in power, often involving bribery.
- incorruptible adjective
- Not able to be persuaded to act dishonestly.
Commonly confused: corruptible or corrupt?
corruptible vs corrupt
Corrupt describes someone who is already dishonest; corruptible describes someone who can become dishonest. A corrupt official has taken bribes; a corruptible official might take one.
Practice
The new safety inspector seemed honest, but his low salary made him ______.
Choose one answer.
Corruptible means capable of being made dishonest, which fits the idea that he might become dishonest because of low pay. Corrupt would mean he is already dishonest, which the sentence says he is not.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “corruptible”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.