1
as in corruption
immoral conduct or practices harmful or offensive to society
the fraternity brothers indulged in shameless debauchery all weekend
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in degradation
a sinking to a state of low moral standards and behavior
the minister decried what he called the debauchery of today's society
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in sensuality
excessive pursuit of fleshly pleasures
a night of drinking and debauchery at the gentleman's club
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of debauchery
The case was settled within a day for $20 million but sparked furor among former fans who quickly began dissecting Diddy's past on social media, including his infamous White Parties, which allegedly drew stars to lavish mansions where debauchery was encouraged.
—
Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
Ibsen’s play takes place in George and Hedda’s front room over a two-day period, and the only nighttime debauchery happens offstage at one of Judge Brack’s bachelor parties, which spirals out of control when Lovborg gets into a fight at a brothel and loses his manuscript on the walk back to town.
—Rory Doherty, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
Raw, sweaty, and steeped in debauchery, the track chronicles a spiral of booze, heartbreak, and nights lost in a haze of resistol fumes, all layered with his signature gritty rap flow.
—Tere Aguilera, Billboard, 10 Oct. 2025
Chefs rarely get swept up in the debauchery of Below Deck, but Bingham may be an exception.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debauchery
Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
Ibsen’s play takes place in George and Hedda’s front room over a two-day period, and the only nighttime debauchery happens offstage at one of Judge Brack’s bachelor parties, which spirals out of control when Lovborg gets into a fight at a brothel and loses his manuscript on the walk back to town.
—Rory Doherty, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
Raw, sweaty, and steeped in debauchery, the track chronicles a spiral of booze, heartbreak, and nights lost in a haze of resistol fumes, all layered with his signature gritty rap flow.
—Tere Aguilera, Billboard, 10 Oct. 2025
Chefs rarely get swept up in the debauchery of Below Deck, but Bingham may be an exception.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debauchery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debauchery
Noun
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But health policy experts have warned the new strategy carries risks for corruption and missing the most vulnerable people.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
4 Feb. 2026
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Under Erdoğan’s orders, prosecutors used charges of corruption, bribery, and support for terrorism to arrest Istanbul’s mayor and more than 100 other administrators of the Istanbul municipality.—
Kaya Genç,
The Dial,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But Puerto Rico’s rapid growth has also raised concerns about sustainability, environmental degradation and cultural erosion.—
Josh Rivera,
USA Today,
9 Feb. 2026
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Water-soluble chlorophyll, which gives broccoli its signature color, is vulnerable to degradation during prolonged cooking or boiling.—
Anne Wolf,
Martha Stewart,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But Vacancy, her first record solely under Interscope, doesn't completely abandon the self-possession and sensuality that's become synonymous with her sound.—
Pitchfork,
Pitchfork,
23 Jan. 2026
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Arnold Jerocki/Getty A public homage will take place at a nearby site for admirers of the woman whose image once symbolized France's postwar liberation and sensuality.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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This approach can be applied to any behavior, including crime and immorality.—
Christopher M. Filley,
The Conversation,
3 Feb. 2026
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One celebrates the beauty and moral uplift of the Sabbath; the other denounces the immorality of the godless in the fiery manner of a tent-revival preacher.—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
22 Dec. 2025
Noun
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The dazzling works of Fra Angelico both testify to the immense wealth and power of fourteenth-century Florentine society and attempt to heal its pride, greed, and brutal inequality.—
Ingrid D. Rowland,
The New York Review of Books,
5 Feb. 2026
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The once-compassionate Democratic Party used to mobilize government for the downtrodden and check crony capitalism’s greed.—
Torrey Snow,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
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This idea that America is a nefarious and terrible force in the world that has committed myriad sins and must withdraw from the world, both for its own good and for the good of the world.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
6 Feb. 2026
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The deadline still needs to play out, and Karnisovas has some basketball sins to recover from before this thing trends in the right direction.—
Joel Lorenzi,
New York Times,
2 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The best sandwiches toe the line between pure hedonism and health—the bite of vinegar and brine, the crunch of fresh vegetables.—
Megan Spurrell,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 Jan. 2026
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Much of Hurry Up Tomorrow sees the Weeknd trying to make peace with his transformation—wrestling with the old habits that haunt him, watching his legacy slip away, recognizing the limits of hedonism, navigating nostalgia and sentimentality.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
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It’s filled with super-heightened emotions; unrestrained passion, betrayal, evil and even a magic spell or two.—
David Lyman,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
5 Feb. 2026
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Sumo wrestlers participated in a ritual to expel evil from the grounds.—
Lydia Price,
PEOPLE,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debauchery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debauchery. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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