uncorrupt
B2Pronunciation
UK
- /ʌnkərˈʌpt/
US
- /ʌnkərˈʌpt/
Description
- honest
- pure
- not spoiled
- free from wrongdoing
Uncorrupt means honest, pure, or unchanged by wrongdoing or decay. It can describe a person, a system, or even something in nature that has stayed clean and untouched. The word suggests that something has not been spoiled, damaged, or led away from what is right. Still, it is a rare word in modern English, and people more often use incorrupt or uncorrupted in the same sense.
The word uncorrupt describes something that remains pure, honest, and free from moral or physical decay. It gives the idea that a person, system, or thing has not been spoiled, damaged, or shaped by bad influence. In that sense, it is the opposite of something tainted, compromised, or rotten.
Historically, corrupt could refer to physical decay, such as something rotting or breaking down. Later, it also came to describe moral failure, dishonesty, and abuse of power. Because of that, uncorrupt carries both ideas: something can be free from literal decay, or free from moral stain.
You might call a judge or public official uncorrupt if they act fairly and refuse bribes. You could also use it for a record, tradition, or natural place that has stayed unchanged and unstained. In older or literary writing, it may even suggest innocence that has not yet been harmed by the world.
That said, uncorrupt is uncommon in present-day English. Many native speakers would choose incorrupt, uncorrupted, honest, pure, or untainted instead, depending on the context. So the word is real and understandable, but it often feels formal, old-fashioned, or literary.
So, when you see uncorrupt, think of something that has stayed clean in character or condition. It points to honesty, purity, and freedom from damage or wrongdoing, but it is not the most usual word for that idea in modern English.
Examples
- 1
Public office
In the story, she remains uncorrupt even after years in office.
- 2
Legal reform
The reformers said the only way to keep the courts uncorrupt was to make every payment public.
Pattern
keep something uncorrupt
prevent it from becoming dishonest or unfair
- 3
Place description
He described the village as one of the last uncorrupt places in the region, far from the capital's politics.
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- uncorrupt