: marked by corruption or evil
a depraved attack
Synonyms
Examples of depraved in a Sentence
the work of depraved minds
He acted with depraved indifference to human suffering.
Recent Examples on the Web
In a police interview, Frost allegedly confessed to the depraved conduct and was arrested.
—
Rebecca Rosenberg, Fox News, 7 Sep. 2023
But the rhetoric, perpetuated by public officials and overheated headlines, suggested that a new morally depraved generation of teenagers — particularly Black teenagers — were to blame.
—Issie Lapowsky Abdul Kircher, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2023
Given the facts in this case, aiming a firearm at the door, and pulling the trigger is legally insufficient to prove depraved mind.
—Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 26 June 2023
Tesla’s failure to fix or even acknowledge these grotesque safety defects shows a depraved indifference to human life.
—IEEE Spectrum, 23 June 2023
Wilde believed that, contrary to the claims of sentimentalism and of generations of prudish literary critics, the quality of a work of art does not depend on its ethical purity—that art depicting the degraded, the depraved, or the wicked can still be beautiful.
—Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 19 June 2023
Television ‘The Great’ invents depraved games for the idle rich.
—Max Gao, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2023
Environmental compliance specialist and avid hiker Melody Sasser, 47, was arrested May 18 for the depraved plot to allegedly murder her romantic rival.
—Rebecca Rosenberg, Fox News, 6 June 2023
The Weeknd has become one of the biggest pop stars in the world, mostly without abandoning his commitment to the depressed and depraved.
—Scottie Andrew, CNN, 14 May 2023
See More
Rebecca Rosenberg, Fox News, 7 Sep. 2023
But the rhetoric, perpetuated by public officials and overheated headlines, suggested that a new morally depraved generation of teenagers — particularly Black teenagers — were to blame.
—Issie Lapowsky Abdul Kircher, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2023
Given the facts in this case, aiming a firearm at the door, and pulling the trigger is legally insufficient to prove depraved mind.
—Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 26 June 2023
Tesla’s failure to fix or even acknowledge these grotesque safety defects shows a depraved indifference to human life.
—IEEE Spectrum, 23 June 2023
Wilde believed that, contrary to the claims of sentimentalism and of generations of prudish literary critics, the quality of a work of art does not depend on its ethical purity—that art depicting the degraded, the depraved, or the wicked can still be beautiful.
—Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 19 June 2023
Television ‘The Great’ invents depraved games for the idle rich.
—Max Gao, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2023
Environmental compliance specialist and avid hiker Melody Sasser, 47, was arrested May 18 for the depraved plot to allegedly murder her romantic rival.
—Rebecca Rosenberg, Fox News, 6 June 2023
The Weeknd has become one of the biggest pop stars in the world, mostly without abandoning his commitment to the depressed and depraved.
—Scottie Andrew, CNN, 14 May 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'depraved.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near depraved
Cite this Entry
“Depraved.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/depraved. Accessed 23 Sep. 2023.
Copy Citation
Legal Definition
depraved
adjective
de·praved
di-ˈprāvd 
: marked by moral corruption or perversion as shown by a capacity for extreme and wanton physical cruelty
the depraved state of mind of the murderer
the depraved nature of the crime
More from Merriam-Webster on depraved
Nglish: Translation of depraved for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of depraved for Arabic Speakers
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share