Designed to prevent, oppose, or reduce political corruption, bribery, and dishonest dealings by government officials.
From anti- (against) + graft (corruption, bribes). Emerged in late 19th-century American English during the Progressive Era movement against machine politics and corruption.
The antigraft movement of the 1900s led to civil service reform—by establishing merit-based government hiring instead of patronage, they fundamentally changed how governments work!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.