verb
vitiate
VISH-ee-ayt/ˈvɪʃieɪt/
To impair the quality or effectiveness of something.
The spilled ink vitiates the delicate watercolor by obscuring its floral design.
Etymology
Latin vitiare meant to make something faulty or spoil its quality. The legal meaning applies that same idea to effectiveness: a defect can impair or destroy an act’s legal effect.
In context
My response to White was that Hoppe's unconventional terminology did not vitiate his substantive argument.
More examples
- Political interference vitiates the agency's independence.
- The benefits of the reform were vitiated by poor enforcement.
- A false assumption can vitiate an otherwise convincing argument.
Forms
vitiate · vitiates · vitiated · vitiating
vitiation noun — The act of impairing quality or effectiveness.