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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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 sinfulness
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 To think that the last girl in the Usui line would behave with such depravity! — Literary Hub, 28 May 2026 And how, even on a personal level, people allow betrayal and jealousy and envy to whip them up to a level of violence and depravity. — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 25 May 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 Those orcas were well within their rights to take their revenge, carrying out Mother Nature’s punishment against humanity for its rapacious depravity. — Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for depravity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for depravity
  1. degradation
  2. corruption
  3. sinfulness
  4. sin
  5. badness
  6. evil
  7. atrocity
  8. immorality
Noun
  • Electric-vehicle owners and operators face concerns that repeated charging and discharging of a battery could accelerate battery degradation, and that use of V2G could void a battery warranty.
    — Lisa Baertlein, USA Today, 6 July 2026
  • This unwanted movement, known as the polysulfide shuttle effect, causes active material loss, side reactions, self-discharge, and rapid capacity degradation.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 4 July 2026
Definition of degradation
Noun
  • Until April, Calabria had spent 17 years under special administration due to persistent budget deficits, which along with corruption scandals and Mafia infiltration affected health investments.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 July 2026
  • The 48-year-old daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte is accused of corruption, bribery, misappropriating millions in government funds and threatening to have the current president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, assassinated.
    — Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 9 July 2026
Definition of corruption
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
  • But there are plenty of sins against the rules of cinematic chastity that marked that movement, such as the ample space made for Lasse Aagaard’s affecting, low-key score that amps up the anxiety as Vibeke starts to spiral.
    — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2026
  • Drop Shots 😱 A player in the girls’ singles was disqualified from her match after committing a cardinal Wimbledon sin.
    — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 5 July 2026
Definition of sin
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
  • Commissioned by Mattel as a blatant weekly half-hour commercial for its popular toy line, the show pits He-Man and his heroic chums against the evil (but strangely inept) Skeletor in a battle for control of Castle Grayskull.
    — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 5 July 2026
  • During the War for Independence, the tribe saw the British as the lesser of two evils.
    — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 3 July 2026
Definition of evil
Noun
  • Supporters see the Colombian tribunal as a landmark that helped end Latin America’s longest-running guerrilla insurgency and hold those responsible for atrocities accountable.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 July 2026
  • Both sides have denied committing war crimes, but Amnesty International last week said the RSF carried out ethnic cleansing and other atrocities in the city of el-Fasher.
    — Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of atrocity
Noun
  • 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
  • That immorality takes on many forms across all aspects of society.
    — Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 5 May 2026
Definition of immorality

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depraving
depravity
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Cite this Entry

“Depravity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/depravity. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on depravity

Nglish: Translation of depravity for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about depravity

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