Corruptible

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Prone to changes that can lead to dishonesty or moral decay
2. Susceptible to influences that undermine integrity and ethical standards
3. Able to be morally compromised or easily influenced to behave dishonestly

Etymology: "Corruptible" is built from the Latin "corruptibilis," meaning able to be spoiled, decayed or destroyed. The Latin verb "corrumpere" combined "com-" (together, here intensive) with "rumpere," to break, so the root sense is something broken apart or made rotten. The adjective passed into Middle English, and in its early uses it referred to physical decay: anything that could rot, wear away or perish, a sense that still lingers in theological talk about the body being corruptible rather than eternal. The bribery sense is a later extension of the same idea. A person who can be "corrupted" is one whose integrity can be broken or spoiled, much as fruit spoils or metal rusts. Moral corruption was already a standard metaphor for decay in Latin, so when the word turned toward people, it carried the image of virtue going bad rather than of anything being bought outright.

Synonyms: dishonest, depraved, immoral

Antonyms: upright, honest, incorruptible