Note: The translation for this entry is currently under quality review. Some content is temporarily displayed in English only.
corruption
This word carries a heavy sense of decay, whether the rot is moral, digital, or biological. When applied to politics or power, it suggests a betrayal of trust and a breakdown of integrity, moving from a state of purity or lawfulness to one of filth and greed. It is almost always used with a negative connotation, implying a poisonous influence that spreads through a system.
In technical contexts, the word shifts from a moral failing to a mechanical error. Here, it describes a loss of original intent or structure, where the information no longer matches its source. The shared thread across all meanings is the transition from a healthy, correct, or honest state to a degraded and dysfunctional one.
Uncountable when discussing the general phenomenon of dishonesty in government. Countable when referring to specific instances or types of data errors.
Meanings
The act of dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery.
The government was plagued by systemic corruption.
The process by which a computer file or data becomes damaged or altered.
The software crashed because of data corruption.
The process of decaying or rotting organically.
The corruption of the corpse was accelerated by the heat.
Examples
The new laws were designed to fight political corruption.
A power surge caused severe memory corruption on the hard drive.
The humid climate accelerated the corruption of the organic matter.