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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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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 If Harper’s voracious hunger for piling on details of Hollywood depravity can seem exploitative, the noir framework suggests another way of looking at it. — Peter C. Baker, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2026 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 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
  • The engine manufacturer conducted post-test inspections after the evaluation and found no evidence of degradation.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 28 Sep. 2026
  • For example, the company traced the helium leaks to valve problems — specifically, degradation that occurred after exposure to nitrogen tetroxide, the oxidizer in Starliner's propulsion system.
    — Mike Wall, Space.com, 28 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
  • While some newly prominent groups (such as those who later became known as Quakers) emphasized love, fellowship and justice, some members of other sects (like the Presbyterians) created new fears, new sins, new tests and new punishments.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
  • While Ferns prop Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu was in the sin-bin for head contact that forced off Marlie Packer, England bulldozed New Zealand's seven-women scrum for Breach to score her 58th try.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 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
  • But while critics deemed the character overly simplistic and an ultimately unbelievable representation of evil (Cathy is an allegory for the serpent in the garden of Eden, after all), Pugh and Kazan, however, took a very different approach.
    — Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Basically, what Thiel’s doing in his Antichrist speeches is portraying our current predicament as an existential battle between good and evil.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 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

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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 1 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on depravity

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about depravity

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