What does subornation mean?
Subornation is the act or practice of persuading someone to do something wrong, particularly by bribery, inducement, or improper influence. Its best-known legal use is in the term subornation of perjury, which refers to inducing a witness to give false testimony. The word is formal and carries a strongly negative connotation: it suggests deliberate manipulation aimed at corrupting someone’s judgment, loyalty, or testimony. In broader contexts, subornation can describe efforts to persuade people to commit crimes, betray duties, or support dishonest schemes. Although the basic sense is legal, the term also appears in political and journalistic discussion of corruption and attempts to secure favorable testimony. It is more forceful than persuasion and more precise than corruption, because it identifies the act of influencing another person rather than merely describing a state of dishonesty. Its unusual vocabulary makes it useful in formal writing about law, ethics, and institutional misconduct.
nounThe act of persuading someone to do something wrong, especially by bribery, inducement, or improper influence. In legal contexts, it may refer specifically to inducing a witness to give false testimony.
- The act or practice of persuading someone to do something wrong, especially by bribery or improper inducement; in legal usage, the offense of inducing a witness to give false testimony.
"The investigation uncovered clear evidence of the subornation of witnesses."
"The prosecutor alleged that the defendant had engaged in the subornation of witnesses."
"The novel explores the moral complexity of subornation, showing how influence and deceit can corrupt public life."
The plural is used when referring to multiple instances of the act or practice, though the word is uncommon in general usage.
"The report documented several separate subornations of witnesses."
When someone is induced to lie under oath, the precise legal phrase is subornation of perjury.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does subornation come from?
The word comes through Latin subornare, meaning “to bribe” or “to corrupt,” with a related formation involving sub- and the Latin root associated with adorning or equipping. English adopted the noun in the early modern period, initially in legal contexts connected with inducing witnesses to give false evidence. The related English verb suborn preserves the older sense of persuading someone to act improperly, while subornation developed into the abstract noun for the act itself.
How subornation is actually used
The term is formal and especially common in legal, political, and journalistic contexts. It is more specific than ordinary persuasion because it implies wrongdoing or an attempt to cause someone to act improperly.
Easily confused with subornation
Subornation is the noun naming the act or practice of persuading someone to act improperly, while suborn is the verb describing that act.