What does vitiate mean?
Word: Vitiate
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Vitiate means to spoil something or make it less effective or less good than it should be. It is a formal word.
Synonyms: weaken, impair, undermine
Word origin: From Latin vitiare, 'to spoil', from vitium, 'a fault'.
How do you spell vitiate?
Syllables: vi - ti - ate
Tricky part: The 'sh' sound in the middle is spelt t-i, as in initiate, so vishiate and viciate are wrong.
Watch out for: vishiate, viciate, vitiete
Memory tip: The ti in vitiate whispers 'sh', just as it does in nation and station.
Vitiate in a sentence
Example 1: Too much salt can vitiate the flavour of a delicate dal.
Example 2: Constant noise from the road vitiated the calm of the reading room.
Example 3: Smoke from burning leaves vitiates the morning air in our lane every winter.
Fun Fact
Vitiate shares its root with vice and vicious, which also go back to the Latin vitium, 'fault'.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the misspelt word:
a) initiate
b) appreciate
c) negotiate
d) vitiat
Show answer
d) vitiat. Vitiate keeps its final e, just as initiate does.
Word Champ
Choose the correct word for the blank:
To ___ something is to spoil its quality or make it less effective.
a) vindicate
b) ventilate
c) vitiate
d) venerate
Show answer
c) vitiate. To vindicate is to prove someone right, to venerate is to respect deeply, and to ventilate is to let fresh air in.
Word Tally
You get 2 marks for each correctly spelt word in the list. How many marks will you get?
vitiate, vigilent, vicinity, vacillate, verbatim
a) 4
b) 6
c) 8
d) 10
Show answer
c) 8. Only vigilant is wrong, as it ends in -ant; four correct words earn 8 marks.
Spell Probe
Fill the blank with 'i'. Which option gives the meaning of that word?
1. v__tiate 2. n__gotiate 3. s__tiate 4. subst__ntiate
a) to discuss something in order to reach an agreement
b) to satisfy a need or wish completely
c) to give facts that prove something is true
d) to spoil something or make it less effective
Show answer
d) to spoil something or make it less effective. With an i, only the first becomes a real word: vitiate. Negotiate takes e, satiate and substantiate take a.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. If heavy rain vitiates a picnic, the picnic becomes ___.
a) easier to plan
b) more crowded
c) less enjoyable
d) much cheaper
Show answer
c) less enjoyable
2. Where are you most likely to meet the word vitiate?
a) in a text to a friend
b) in a nursery rhyme
c) in a formal report
d) in a cartoon caption
Show answer
c) in a formal report
