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
Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 31 Mar. 2026
Come April, one of television’s most talked-about series—HBO’s The White Lotus—will begin filming its fourth season here, adding a new twist to the Riviera’s long tradition of mischief and decadent pleasures.
—Lanie Goodman, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Mar. 2026
Jessica Saari Christensen, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Feb. 2026
The duo package includes milk chocolate squares with caramel filling and decadent 60-percent cacao dark chocolate ones.
—Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for decadent
Adjective
But the way Marchenko insists on drawing lines of uncomplicated beauty through the howling darkness of these songs gives his solitude a luxurious, almost decadent quality.
—Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 31 Mar. 2026
Come April, one of television’s most talked-about series—HBO’s The White Lotus—will begin filming its fourth season here, adding a new twist to the Riviera’s long tradition of mischief and decadent pleasures.
—Lanie Goodman, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Mar. 2026
Noun
This decadent no-bake dessert takes just 25 minutes to assemble and calls upon instant pudding mix to get the job done quickly.
—Jessica Saari Christensen, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Feb. 2026
The duo package includes milk chocolate squares with caramel filling and decadent 60-percent cacao dark chocolate ones.
—Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for decadent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decadent
Adjective
-
Prisons are filled with the faithful and the daily news reports are overflowing with reprehensible, criminal, degenerate theists.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Apr. 2026
-
In Osamu Dazai’s The Setting Sun, Kazuko despairs of the pain that her brother Naoji’s drug addiction and degenerate behavior have caused the family.—
Christine Smallwood,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Today, Christians observe Good Friday — a day when corrupt religious and political forces crucified Jesus of Nazareth as a common criminal on a rubbish heap outside the city walls of Jerusalem.—
Peter Cook,
New York Daily News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
First there’s Phil Reizenstein, who, during a long career plumbing the depths of Magic City jurisprudence, has represented a former telenovela actor who killed a motorist in a road rage incident, as well as a DEA agent in an investigation into corrupt activities.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
From his Palm Beach and New York mansions and his luxurious apartment in Paris, Epstein enjoyed a remarkable level of access to sensitive information like the outcomes of political meetings and the itineraries of Gulf royals.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
-
La Cour des Vosges has a very quiet, luxurious feeling, and a great view overlooking one of Paris’s most beautiful squares.—
CNT Editors,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Nora Ephron for depressed perverts.—
Antonia Blyth,
Deadline,
16 Feb. 2026
-
You are being spied on by a pervert.—
Jay Ruttenberg,
New Yorker,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
All of the group’s hotels appeal to wellbeing-loving hedonists with a conscience—regular guests are predominantly female (around 60%).—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 Mar. 2026
-
The sequel strips Grace of what made her special and merely pays lip service to the first one’s worldview, representing the antagonists as generically incompetent hedonists.—
Michael Ordoña,
San Francisco Chronicle,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Scarf critics accuse the accessory—and by extension, its wearers—of being effete or affected.—
Eric Twardzik,
Robb Report,
1 Dec. 2025
-
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
Adjective
-
Over that time retirement has been diminished and degraded; Social Security in particular has survived several assassination attempts.—
Trevor Jackson,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
-
But the Florida Supreme Court last month intervened and ordered advanced DNA testing on the last surviving sample from the case, a badly degraded lab slide with biological material from the jeans that Teresa McAbee wore the night she was murdered.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Ozon’s black-and-white version sticks closely to the story but dispenses with much of the narration to focus on the sensual streets of colonial Algeria.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
3 Apr. 2026
-
This Earth sign is sensual, grounded and deeply connected to the physical world.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decadent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decadent. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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