corruzione
/kor.rutˈt͡sjo.ne/
The Italian word for bribery is corruzione.
corruzione is the general noun used to describe the act of giving, offering or accepting bribes. In specific legal or descriptive contexts, you may see corruzione attiva to refer to active bribery (the act of offering a bribe) and corruzione passiva to refer to passive bribery (the act of accepting a bribe). The related verb is corrompere, which means to bribe.
Meaning: giving, offering or accepting bribes (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
corruzione is a feminine noun. Its plural form is corruzioni, which is used when referring to multiple acts of bribery or multiple bribes.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /kor.rutˈtsjo.ne/. It has 4 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable.
Did you know?
- The word corruzione is also used in Italian to describe the physical decay of organic matter or the 'corruption' of a digital file.
- In a historical context, the term tangenti refers to 'kickbacks' and became a household word in Italy during the massive Mani Pulite judicial investigations of the 1990s.
- While corruzione is the official term, Italians often use the slang word bustarella to refer to a small, clandestine bribe given in an envelope.
Examples in context
- Lui disprezzava la corruzione.He disdained bribery.This sentence is useful for seeing how to express disdain for corruzione.Tatoeba #3298876 by Guybrush88, translation #300916 by shekitten
- Durante il processo legale, è emersa la corruzione attiva da parte dell'imprenditoreDuring the legal process, active bribery by the entrepreneur emerged
- La corruzione è un problema grave.Bribery is a serious problem.
- Hanno affrontato accuse di corruzione.They faced accusations of bribery.
- 1 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two colleagues are discussing a news report in the office.
- FrancescoHai letto l'articolo sulla corruzione?Did you read the article about bribery?
- MartinaSì, è davvero incredibile.Yes, it is truly incredible.
- FrancescoMolti politici sono coinvolti.Many politicians are involved.
- MartinaÈ una situazione molto triste.It is a very sad situation.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry corruzione, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
