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Extort vs Exploit - What's the difference?

extort | exploit |

In transitive terms the difference between extort and exploit

is that extort is to wrest from an unwilling person by physical force, menace, duress, torture, or any undue or illegal exercise of power or ingenuity; to wrench away (from); to tear away; to wring (from); to exact; as, to extort contributions from the vanquished; to extort confessions of guilt; to extort a promise; to extort payment of a debt while exploit is to use for one’s own advantage.

As a noun exploit is

a heroic or extraordinary deed.

extort

English

(Webster 1913)

Verb

(en verb)
  • To wrest from an unwilling person by physical force, menace, duress, torture, or any undue or illegal exercise of power or ingenuity; to wrench away (from); to tear away; to wring (from); to exact; as, to extort contributions from the vanquished; to extort confessions of guilt; to extort a promise; to extort payment of a debt.
  • (legal) To obtain by means of the offense of extortion.
  • (transitive, and, intransitive, medicine, ophthalmology) To twist outwards.

    • Derived terms

    * extortion * extortionate * extortionist

    See also

    * intort

    exploit

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A heroic or extraordinary deed.
  • An achievement.
  • (computing) A program or technique that exploits a vulnerability in other software.

    • Verb

    (en verb)
  • To use for one’s own advantage.

    • Synonyms

    * take advantage of,