depraved 1 of 2

adjective

di-ˈprāvd How to pronounce depraved (audio)
Definition of depravednext
as in corrupt
having or showing lowered moral character or standards the depraved actions of a gang of madmen who had gained control of an entire nation

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

depraved

2 of 2

verb

past tense of deprave
as in perverted
to lower in character, dignity, or quality the belief that pornography depraves society as a whole

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 depraved
Adjective
On Thursday, June 11, Joshua Smith, 35, pleaded guilty to depraved indifference murder in Penobscot County Superior Court in the death of his son, Braxtyn Smith. — Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 15 June 2026 In recent years, drag has been positioned as a cultural lightning rod as part of a right-wing political effort to paint drag artists as depraved actors out to pervert gender norms, especially for children. — David MacK, CNN Money, 10 June 2026
Verb
Online court records show he is charged with first-degree murder dangerous depraved without premeditation. — Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 2 Apr. 2026 Murdering a teenaged iconic athlete shows how deeply depraved the Iranian leadership is. — Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 19 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for depraved
Recent Examples of Synonyms for depraved
  1. corrupt
  2. perverted
  3. degraded
  4. corrupted
  5. sick
  6. weakened
  7. humiliated
  8. debauched
Adjective
  • And Alice’s superior, FBI agent Nora Washington (Quincy Tyler Bernstine), realizes that her corrupt boss Ed George (Danny McCarthy), who was covering up Easton’s crimes, will retain his ASAC position at the FBI.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026
  • That strategy allowed the Kremlin to publicly deny the existence of political repression while portraying the opposition as inherently corrupt.
    — Andrei Soldatov, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of corrupt
Verb
  • More important to Bernstein is what that lust reveals about her characters’ deepest needs, specifically how their need to care and be cared for can be as easily perverted as any other form of desire.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 9 July 2026
  • Georgia Bernstein’s unsettling directorial debut focuses on how warped and perverted those desires become when they’re taken to their insatiable extremes.
    — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 8 July 2026
Definition of perverted
Adjective
  • Energy analysts have consistently cautioned that raising Venezuelan output meaningfully will take years and billions of dollars in repairs to degraded infrastructure.
    — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026
  • That matters because degraded land is not simply an environmental concern.
    — Shooka Bidarian, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of degraded
Verb
  • Scott the aesthete, the creator of indelible images and ethereal moods who was unafraid to linger in beauty, even when that beauty was corrupted.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026
  • As a result, the notion of utopia became increasingly associated with the sci-fi genre, while the idea of creating a perfect social order here on earth was corrupted by totalitarian regimes.
    — Carline Tromp, The Dial, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of corrupted
Adjective
  • Some recalls, Eskin said, are made after companies’ routine testing catches a pathogen before anyone gets sick, while others involve outbreaks that are already underway and vary widely in size and severity.
    — Dian Zhang, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Sanchez also ordered a meal from Taco Bell, but didn’t get sick.
    — Rebecca Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of sick
Verb
  • Today, the yen has weakened 57% from a low of about 103 in January 2021 to a high of 163 in July, before a rare joint intervention from both Washington and Tokyo strengthened the currency to its current levels of about 160.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Sprout Social's 2026 Influencer Marketing Report found that recommendation feeds have weakened the link between follower count and reach.
    — Zoe Huang, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of weakened
Verb
  • My husband was humiliated, he was degraded, and not able to defend himself.
    — Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Their time in Fiji was marked by endless drama, with Sincere often lying and leaving Melanie feeling humiliated on several occasions.
    — Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of humiliated
Verb
  • Just as bright, witty, and debauched as their namesake, this unique protagonist is on a path of self-discovery, gaining insight into not just their gender identity, but also their preternatural attraction to transgression and risk.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 8 July 2026
  • And regular Kate Moss’s turn on the decks one memorable, and debauched, night in 2015 had revelers literally swinging from the chandeliers.
    — Nick Scott, Robb Report, 13 June 2026
Definition of debauched

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Cite this Entry

“Depraved.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/depraved. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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