Arabic vocabulary
أَفْسَدَcorrupt in Arabic
أَفْسَدَ is how you say “corrupt” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in real example sentences from classical texts below.
Root ف س د (f-s-d)verb (form IV, causative)Pronounced afsada
Meaning of corrupt in Arabic
- to make or render (something) bad, corrupt, spoiled, unsound, or ruined — contrary of أَصْلَحَ (to set right); used of concrete things, e.g. rendering property wasted or damaged, as well as abstract states or affairs
- to act badly, wrongly, or corruptly toward someone; to do evil or mischief
- to create or stir up discord, disagreement, or strife between people
أَفْسَدَ is the causative counterpart of فَسَدَ: where فَسَدَ describes something being or becoming corrupt on its own, أَفْسَدَ describes an agent actively corrupting, spoiling, or ruining it. It covers both concrete damage (e.g. wasting property) and abstract wrongdoing, including acting badly toward a person or sowing discord between people — standing throughout as the direct opposite of أَصْلَحَ, 'to set right, to reform.'
Words from the same root
- فَسَدَto be or become bad, corrupt, spoiled, unsound (base form I verb; contrary of صَلَحَ)
- فَسَادٌcorruption, badness, wrongdoing, mischief, disorder; also the wrongful taking of property
- فَاسِدٌcorrupt, bad, spoiled, unsound (active participle of fasada)
- مَفْسَدَةٌa corrupting thing; a harm, mischief, or instance of corruption
- اسْتَفْسَدَto seek to corrupt something, or to treat someone so as to provoke disaffection or rebellion (form X; contrary of استصلح)
- تَفَاسَدُواto become at variance and sever the ties of kinship or friendship with one another (form VI)
- فَاسَدَهُto become at variance with someone, cutting the tie of friendship with him (form III)
Common questions
- How do you say "corrupt" in Arabic?
- أَفْسَدَ (afsada) — the form IV causative verb meaning to make or render something bad, spoiled, or corrupt; it is the standard opposite of أَصْلَحَ, "to set right."
- What is the difference between فَسَدَ and أَفْسَدَ?
- فَسَدَ (fasada, form I) means to be or become corrupt by itself; أَفْسَدَ (afsada, form IV) is the causative — to make or render something corrupt, i.e. to corrupt, spoil, or ruin it.
Definitions synthesised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).
Example sentences
والابتلاء بقرناء السوء الَّذين يفسدون الْقلب ويضيعون الْوَقْت
And the trial of bad companions who corrupt the heart and waste time.
يُفْسِدُونَ — they corrupt. Present-tense verb 'corrupt'; the '-una' ending is the built-in subject 'they'.
From: Returning to God →من يُحسِن الصمتَ لا يهرب من الحوار، بل يختار لحظتَه كي لا تُفسِدَ العجلةُ ما يُصلِحه البيان
He who masters silence does not flee dialogue, but chooses his moment so that haste does not spoil what clarity mends.
تُفْسِدَ — spoil. A Form IV verb, 'ruins / spoils,' in the subjunctive (the -a) after 'so that,' feminine to agree with its subject 'haste' to come. The danger to be avoided: hurried speech wrecking what careful speech repairs.
From: On Silence →
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