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
Nicholas D. KristofExamples 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
Back then, many conservatives treated the Epstein files as a skeleton key promising cataclysmic revelations about elite depravity and corruption.
—Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
We are used to it, even as new levels of depravity are uncovered on a weekly basis.
—Jack Sheehan
september 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
As Alfred Hitchcock’s tale of murder and depravity builds to its climax, the film’s ostensible hero, tennis professional Guy Haines (Farley Granger), needs to get out ahead of the psychopath (Robert Walker) who means to frame him for a murder.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
Moreover, the sender's expression of both solidarity and helplessness captures well the mood of an outraged regional and global public, reckoning with its powerlessness in the face of the accumulating moral depravity in Gaza.
—Alia Brahimi, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for depravity
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Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
We are used to it, even as new levels of depravity are uncovered on a weekly basis.
—Jack Sheehan
september 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
As Alfred Hitchcock’s tale of murder and depravity builds to its climax, the film’s ostensible hero, tennis professional Guy Haines (Farley Granger), needs to get out ahead of the psychopath (Robert Walker) who means to frame him for a murder.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
Moreover, the sender's expression of both solidarity and helplessness captures well the mood of an outraged regional and global public, reckoning with its powerlessness in the face of the accumulating moral depravity in Gaza.
—Alia Brahimi, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for depravity
Cite this Entry
“Depravity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/depravity. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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