as in degradation
a sinking to a state of low moral standards and behavior
a novel that examines the decadency of a group of overprivileged teens in an affluent suburb
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of decadency
Fashion director and photographer Mert Alas has merged his unique take on luxury fashion with a dose of decadency and self-indulgence.
—
Angela Lei, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2021
Angela Lei, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decadency
Noun
-
This collection of poems—Orr’s thirteenth—bears bitter witness to environmental degradation, moral corruption, and the aging of a body and of a generation, all viewed from a bird’s eye, wrapped in the language and tone of myth.—
Craig Morgan Teicher,
Literary Hub,
1 June 2026
-
And a 2024 study found that a larger-than-expected proportion of physicians are leaving after fulfilling their service obligations, citing pay disparity, administrative burden, and clinical skill degradation as key drivers.—
Allison DeAngelis,
STAT,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
The only danger was that theriac was thought to heat the body and thus could supposedly render an individual more susceptible to corruption by the plague.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 May 2026
-
Eric Ries, entrepreneur and author, says that corruption inside companies rarely begins with bad people or dramatic scandals.—
Harvard Business Review,
Harvard Business Review,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decadency.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decadency. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
