debauchery

play

noun de·bauch·ery \di-ˈbȯ-chə-rē, -chrē, -ˈbä-\

Definition of debauchery

plural

debaucheries

1 : extreme indulgence in bodily pleasures and especially sexual pleasures : behavior involving sex, drugs, alcohol, etc. that is often considered immoral … he was glad when others joined them, men and women; and they had more drink and spent the night in wild rioting and debauchery. — Upton Sinclair … Matthew had continued his debaucheries, having chartered a private plane for himself and a bunch of fringe celebrities to go to Corfu for a week of hard-core partying. — Evgenia Peretz
2 archaic : seduction from virtue or duty

See debauchery defined for English-language learners

See debauchery defined for kids

Examples of debauchery in a Sentence

Like St. Augustine carousing his student days away in fourth-century Carthage, [Thomas] Merton had succumbed to such physical and intellectual debaucheries as New York offered a Columbia undergraduate in the 1930's: wine, women and some Communist fellow-traveling. —Mark Silk, New York Times Book Review, 30 Mar. 1986
… they regard all music and everything pleasant as forms of debauchery, and will not confess to any knowledge or practice unless you can convince them that you are as abandoned a profligate as themselves. —Bernard Shaw, letter, 25 Nov. 1948
I have seen a dozen boys stretched on the grass within a circumference of fifty feet, all of them smoking cigarettes and reading dime novels. It was a scene of inspiring debauchery, even to the most craven spectator. —H. L. Mencken, Happy Days, 1940
He later regretted the debauchery of his youth.
He recalled the evening's debaucheries with regret.

Recent Examples of debauchery from the Web

A documentary series on the anticorruption campaign that aired nationally this past week cheered Mr. Xi for having a down-to-earth work style, in contrast with the debauchery of former top officials convicted of graft.

— chun han wong, WSJ, "China’s Xi Jinping Seeks Safety in Numbers—Or Else", 23 Oct. 2016
At 7 a.m. on Sunday morning, the first weekend of the post-Olympic era, downtown Atlanta had the look of a college freshman after his first frat party — stunned, pained and drained by the magnificence of his debauchery.

— AJC.com, "That day I put an end to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta", 5 Aug. 2016
For as much debauchery and romance Efron has accumulated in his young career, he's also had decent experience playing the parent.

— jake kring-schreifels, Esquire, "How Zac Efron Has Evolved From Teen Idol to Full-Fledged Movie Star", 11 July 2016
To be sure, a certain measure of debauchery pervades Bloomsday celebrations, especially in Dublin, where many acolytes attempt to retrace the steps of Leopold Bloom, Stephen Dedalus, and the novel’s other characters through the city—and its pubs.

— ian bogost, The Atlantic, "Ulysses and the Lie of Technological Progress", 16 June 2016
Things, however, quickly turn to madness and debauchery as power failures spread through the building and tensions amongst neighbors escalate.

— katherine brodsky, Esquire, "Tom Hiddleston on the Comic Chaos of High-Rise: 'Dystopian Nightmares Are Manifestations of Our Fears'", 12 May 2016
At 11:35 pm, Conan told viewers to record their show and turn on David Letterman's instead, before launching into general debauchery.

— diana bruk, Esquire, "Here Are the Most Moving Tributes to David Letterman's Exit", 21 May 2015
This is the great granddaddy of debauchery, the font from which all other Bourbon Street cocktails spring.

— dave thier, Esquire, "Why We Drink From Skulls at Mardi Gras", 28 Feb. 2014
Dark and Stormys are easy and fitting for an evening of costumed debauchery, as is Philadelphia Fish House.

— leslie pariseau, Esquire, "10 Laws for Drinking Like a (Grown) Man on Halloween", 28 Oct. 2011

These example sentences are collected from online sources. Help us improve them by sending feedback.

History and Use of debauchery

Some people come to find debauchery through the Bible, in a manner of speaking.

In a number of modern versions the word may be found in Ephesians 5:18, as in The New International Version's translation: “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit....” The Greek word that is translated here as debauchery may be interpreted in many different ways: the King James Version uses excess, whereas the American Standard Version uses riot.

Debauchery always involves behavior—especially sexual behavior or behavior involving alcohol or drugs—that some find morally objectionable. In biblical and spiritual contexts, the word debauchery is deadly serious, but in other situations the word often has a playful connotation, as when a group of friends goes out for a "night of debauchery."

Debauchery began to be used in English in the beginning of the 17th century, and is formed from the earlier word debauch. As a verb debauch initially had the meaning of "to lead astray," especially when referring to leading someone away from another person to whom he or she has an allegiance or duty. In its earliest use as a noun debauch was often used to refer to an instance of eating or drinking too much.