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depravity

noun

di-ˈpra-və-tē How to pronounce depravity (audio)
Definition of depravitynext
1
as in degradation
a sinking to a state of low moral standards and behavior regards the widespread acceptance of gambling as another sign of the depravity of today's society

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in corruption
immoral conduct or practices harmful or offensive to society a section of the city long known as den of depravity

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in badness
the state or quality of being utterly evil the depravity of the demons and devils in many tales of horror

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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 depravity Major League Eating organizes the event, and its International Federation of Competitive Eating is the governing body that oversees such depravity. — Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 4 July 2026 How slippery is the slope of depravity? — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 26 June 2026 Bardem is captivating and formidable, grinning with maniacal glee at his every act of depravity and the fear and anguish of his victims. — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 4 June 2026 Marc makes an example of the penitent, powerless Jeanne, reminding the rest of his flock of the punishment for apostasy and using her rough time among the heathens as proof of why none under his control should ever want to trade his order for such modern sin and depravity. — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for depravity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for depravity
  1. degradation
  2. corruption
  3. badness
  4. sin
  5. sinfulness
  6. evil
  7. atrocity
  8. immorality
Noun
  • Battery targets long-term durability Fast charging often leads to concerns about battery degradation and long-term durability.
    — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 21 Sep. 2026
  • One goal is to identify bacterial genes associated with degradation of BTEX and other hydrocarbons.
    — Catherine Armbruster, The Conversation, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of degradation
Noun
  • The Justice Department, for instance, decimated its elite Public Integrity Section in early 2025 while the FBI disbanded a white-collar fraud and public corruption squad based out of its Washington field office.
    — PATRICK WHITTLE, Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026
  • But his support among Palestinians has withered during years of corruption and the sometimes violent advance of Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
    — Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of corruption
Noun
  • On one side, a satanic figure named Randall Flagg who gathers his forces of badness to Las Vegas; on the other, the good guys, led by 108-year-old Mother Abigail in, of all places, Boulder.
    — Barbara Ellis, Denver Post, 15 Jan. 2026
  • The show premiered over Thanksgiving weekend, when people were tired and full and bored (and probably also horny), and countered our world’s unceasing badness with its world’s buoyant sweetness.
    — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026
Definition of badness
Noun
  • Not sure when short field goal attempts became a sin, but this is now a trend.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Kaporos is intended to symbolize the transfer of one’s sins to a chicken.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of sin
Noun
  • But soon after, in Genesis 18, God tells Abraham of plans to investigate reports of sinfulness in Sodom and Gomorrah.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026
  • Denver author Josiah Hesse was raised by Evangelical parents in churches that believe in the torments of hell, that their poverty is due to their sinfulness and lack of faith.
    — Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2026
Definition of sinfulness
Noun
  • For instance, the way that Tresnjak, wardrobe designer Charlotte DeVaux Shields and set designer Alexander Dodge have conspired to make sneakers into the embodiment of complicity and evil is fairly ingenious.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Sep. 2026
  • In the Met’s Macbeth, tragedy and evil are always in scare quotes.
    — Justin Davidson, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of evil
Noun
  • Many social media users suggested Pearman may have missed the point of the somber experience of visiting a living memorial where one of history’s greatest atrocities occurred.
    — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The stakes are high, as Israeli officials campaign against Abraham and Szor’s citizenship status, and atrocity in Gaza wages on.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of atrocity
Noun
  • Since the middle of the twentieth century, societies around the globe have undergone a collective revolution in standards and attitudes towards obscenity and immorality.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Independents said the worst thing about Republicans was their loyalty to Trump (10%), perceptions of corruption and self-enrichment (8%), dishonesty, hypocrisy or immorality (7%), a lack of concern for ordinary people or cruelty (6%), and ineffective and weak or unqualified leadership (5%).
    — Emily Guskin, ABC News, 27 May 2026
Definition of immorality

Browse Nearby Words

depraving
depravity
deprecate
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Cite this Entry

“Depravity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/depravity. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on depravity

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about depravity

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