depravity

noun

de·​prav·​i·​ty di-ˈpra-və-tē 

also -ˈprā-

plural depravities

1

: a corrupt act or practice

the depravities of war

2

: the quality or state of being corrupt, evil, or perverted : the quality or state of being depraved

He is awed by its fabulous wealth but deeply troubled by what he sees as its moral depravity …

—Nicholas D. Kristof

Synonyms of depravity

• degradation
• corruption
• corruptness
• dissoluteness

Examples of depravity in a Sentence

He was sinking into a life of utter depravity.

People were shocked by the depravity of her actions.

Recent Examples on the Web

In fact, Israel built its future wagering that the Palestinians violently displaced and expelled in the Nakba would eventually move on, assimilate, forget the depravity that ripped them from their land. — Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026

The depravity of the aristocrats in the periphery comes off as deliciously cartoonish, likely because that’s how Fyodor perceives them. — Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026

Every other entry either dwells in its characters’ filth throughout or reveals a new level of depravity as the climactic joke. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 17 Aug. 2026

If Harper’s voracious hunger for piling on details of Hollywood depravity can seem exploitative, the noir framework suggests another way of looking at it. — Peter C. Baker, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see deprave

First Known Use

1641, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing depravity

• total depravity

Rhymes for depravity

• concavity
• cavity
• gravity
• intracavity
• microgravity
• supergravity

Kids Definition

depravity

noun

de·​prav·​i·​ty di-ˈprav-ət-ē 

plural depravities

1

: a corrupt act or practice

2

: the quality or state of being depraved

Legal Definition

depravity

noun

de·​prav·​i·​ty di-ˈpra-və-tē 

plural depravities

1

: the quality or state of being depraved

2

: a corrupt act or practice