1
as in degenerate
having lost forcefulness, courage, or spirit
social critics claimed that their culture had become decadent and weak
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in corrupt
having or showing lowered moral character or standards
opponents of gambling casinos claim that gambling is a decadent form of entertainment
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in luxurious
given to or marked by excessive gratification of one's desires
the impressionable heiress couldn't resist the decadent temptations of the jet-set life
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in pervert
a person who has sunk below the normal moral standard
avant-garde artists who were scorned by the bourgeoisie as talentless decadents
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hedonist
a person whose life is devoted to luxury and sensual pleasures
a decadent who squandered her once considerable family fortune
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of decadent
Will Tizard, Variety, 2 Nov. 2025
Other handbags in the collection masquerade as decadent desserts, including two-tier pastel cake with iced crystals and a Champagne bottle party bag, also modeled by Ratajakowski.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 31 Oct. 2025
Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 11 Aug. 2025
For dessert, the most decadent is chocolate dumplings with raspberry caramel and sea salt countering the sweetness.
—Constance Ogle, Miami Herald, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for decadent
Adjective
Praises are sung for industry while defensive bunkers, of which Hoxha build hundreds of thousands, withstand test blasts, proving their readiness to stand up to decadent imperialist forces from the West.
—Will Tizard, Variety, 2 Nov. 2025
Other handbags in the collection masquerade as decadent desserts, including two-tier pastel cake with iced crystals and a Champagne bottle party bag, also modeled by Ratajakowski.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 31 Oct. 2025
Noun
My vision was to create a grab-and-go option that’s a little bit decadent without being a total sugar bomb.
—Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 11 Aug. 2025
For dessert, the most decadent is chocolate dumplings with raspberry caramel and sea salt countering the sweetness.
—Constance Ogle, Miami Herald, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for decadent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decadent
Adjective
-
All Quiet on the Western Front and Conclave director Edward Berger is exploring another chill, very normal setting with a somewhat surreal thriller starring Colin Farrell as a degenerate gambler who is making a last-ditch effort to get out of the mountain of debt he’s made for himself.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
1 Nov. 2025
-
In the quiet of the Sabbath morning when all the neighborhood was wrapped in slumber, some dastardly degenerate crept into the room, choked her to death, assaulted her criminally and left her bruised and bleeding body lying on the bed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Which makes Shelley Joseph today’s poster gal for the corrupt double standards in the Massachusetts legal system.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Trump is running the most brazenly corrupt administration in modern history.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Cotton is the gold standard for a luxurious feel—each item in our edit is either pure cotton or a soft blend—and from there, the rest is pretty much down to style preference.—
Elly Leavitt,
Vogue,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Bright red polka dots and a ballet-slipper pink cat-eye base strike the perfect balance between playful and luxurious-looking.—
Ariel Wodarcyk,
InStyle,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The Gooneral’s attendees didn’t care that Malone was, from all available evidence, not a gooner at all but rather an unaffiliated, lone-wolf pervert.—
Daniel Kolitz,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Boiled down to a thoughtless pervert by the public, Six became one.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
21 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
This is the burger for hedonists (particularly those who have time to take a nap right after).—
Charlie Hobbs,
Condé Nast Traveler,
31 Dec. 2025
-
The ambush is delivered courtesy of the Mangkwan Clan, a cult of kamikaze hedonists who rejected Eywa after a volcano reduced their corner of Pandora to ash, but the RDA is happy to seize on the chaos and launch their final attack on the Metkayina’s oceanic stronghold.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
16 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
What we’re left with is an effete description that exists for itself and doesn’t illuminate the character.—
Hannah Gold,
New Yorker,
29 Aug. 2025
-
Cutaways to bits involving sad-sack local cop Maccarico (Marco Bonadei) interviewing kooky characters like an effete server (Milutin Dapcevic) at Taco King and Oreste getting a dressing down from his ex-wife, Arabella’s Mother (Margareth Made), just feel like mildly amusing filler.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Two meetings will be hosted this month for public input on a proposal to restore a degraded estuary in South Laguna at Aliso Creek.—
Erika I. Ritchie,
Oc Register,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Loyola Marymount University professor Demian Willette uses it to better understand how micro-forests take up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, contribute to local biodiversity and help restore degraded land.—
Emily Kwong,
NPR,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The two share a vampy, sexy, sensual stylistic code.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
4 Jan. 2026
-
The result is eveningwear that feels sensual, refined and effortlessly modern.—
Alex Badia,
Footwear News,
31 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Decadent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decadent. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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