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
And so the depravity of the crime just shocks the conscience.
—Audrey Conklin, FOXNews.com, 2 June 2025
Animal Farm, published in 1945 as the Soviet Union was clamping its pincers on Eastern Europe, and 1948 – published at a time when Stalin had drawn the Iron Curtain between East and West – illustrate the moral depravity of the powerful who exert dominance over the powerless.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 16 May 2025
Together the two enter a whirlwind romance sending them down the rabbit hole of drugs and depravity in Manhattan’s underworld.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 20 Feb. 2025
Johnson said the disturbing account was just one night in 20 years of violence, abuse and depravity that jurors would hear about throughout the trial, expected to last eight weeks.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for depravity
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Audrey Conklin, FOXNews.com, 2 June 2025
Animal Farm, published in 1945 as the Soviet Union was clamping its pincers on Eastern Europe, and 1948 – published at a time when Stalin had drawn the Iron Curtain between East and West – illustrate the moral depravity of the powerful who exert dominance over the powerless.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 16 May 2025
Together the two enter a whirlwind romance sending them down the rabbit hole of drugs and depravity in Manhattan’s underworld.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 20 Feb. 2025
Johnson said the disturbing account was just one night in 20 years of violence, abuse and depravity that jurors would hear about throughout the trial, expected to last eight weeks.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 12 May 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 3 Jul. 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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