1
as in degradation
a sinking to a state of low moral standards and behavior
his frat-boy libertinage was abruptly halted when his fed-up father cut him off financially
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in corruption
immoral conduct or practices harmful or offensive to society
a young prince more interested in libertinage than leadership
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of libertinage
Rococo costumes are done up in garish colors; courtly gestures go hand in hand with libertinage.
—
Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 13 June 2022
Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 13 June 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for libertinage
Noun
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If Wyatt and Surrey could pen brilliant sonnets under Tudor tyranny, then certainly great art can be produced under capitalism despite its particular degradations.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Major degradation to their ability to produce the ballistic missiles that have been striking so many of their Gulf neighbors, Israel and elsewhere.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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That technical term means a calculation error can cause memory corruption inside the system.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Five years ago, Martin had been involved in a major gang case that prosecutors eventually dismissed following the fallout from the corruption and racist texting scandal involving Antioch police.—
Rick Hurd,
Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
On one hand, no one ever wants to repeat the Dolphins’ sin of passing over Drew Brees in free agency in 2006.—
Jeff Howe,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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All of these are sins that Trump would likely understand.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Courteney Cox‘s dogged reporter/stand-in for media immorality Gale Weathers will naturally be on the scene once again, as well a host of recurring characters, fan favorites, and old faces from all six of the previous entries.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
27 Feb. 2026
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This approach can be applied to any behavior, including crime and immorality.—
Christopher M. Filley,
The Conversation,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Why does their desire to hurt the American president politically trump their desire to assist the Iranian people achieve a new future for their children, free from the evil of the current regime?—
Chris Roemer,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Mar. 2026
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Blood Meridian throws out the Western trope of good versus evil in favor of a nihilist view of a world consumed by violence.—
Carolina A. Miranda,
The Atlantic,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
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This lawless crew shares dramaturgical DNA with the vice figures from medieval morality plays, personifications of sinfulness who would confide their schemes to the audience and make theatergoers their co-conspirators in a riveting game that obviously left its mark on a young Shakespeare.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Jan. 2026
Noun
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This kind of depravity, licentiousness and polemical theatrics has no place on such a traditional and once wholesome presentation of the coming of a new year in our great nation and especially on the eve of the 250th anniversary of the greatest experiment in democracy and freedom in history.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 Jan. 2026
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This kind of depravity, licentiousness and polemical theatrics has no place on such a traditional and once-wholesome presentation of the coming of a new year, especially on the eve of the 250th anniversary of the greatest experiment in democracy and freedom in history.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
3 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Still, a story that’s equal parts an exploration of libertinism and also a scorching take on the elite remained a tempting narrative to explore.—
Abbey White,
The Hollywood Reporter,
20 Nov. 2024
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To some, the campus became the place where the children of American postwar affluence failed to live up to all that had been invested in them, opting instead for campus protest, radical politics, and libertinism.—
Adrian Daub / Made by History,
TIME,
3 Sep. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Libertinage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/libertinage. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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