as in degradation
a sinking to a state of low moral standards and behavior
pictorial advertisements for chic clothing and fragrances in which drug addiction and other forms of moral turpitude are depicted as alternative fashion statements
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Recent Examples of turpitude
Last week there was another article about three former major league pitchers who cannot find jobs in a depleted pitching market because of their off-field activities, indiscretions, moral turpitude, etc.
—
Dan Freedman, Forbes, 16 Sep. 2024
According to a 2021 Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office manual, material relating to dishonesty, assaults, racial bias and acts of moral turpitude can all be relevant Brady material.
—Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2024
People who lose control of their substance use have long been deemed constitutionally weak-willed, doomed to a life of moral turpitude.
—Zachary Siegel, Scientific American, 9 July 2024
Mueller’s chronicle of prevarication, moral turpitude, and incompetence is dispiriting, but his presentation of rigorous legal reasoning and strict adherence to statutes, case law, and procedural rules is inspiring.
—Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 21 May 2019
See All Example Sentences for turpitude
Dan Freedman, Forbes, 16 Sep. 2024
According to a 2021 Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office manual, material relating to dishonesty, assaults, racial bias and acts of moral turpitude can all be relevant Brady material.
—Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2024
People who lose control of their substance use have long been deemed constitutionally weak-willed, doomed to a life of moral turpitude.
—Zachary Siegel, Scientific American, 9 July 2024
Mueller’s chronicle of prevarication, moral turpitude, and incompetence is dispiriting, but his presentation of rigorous legal reasoning and strict adherence to statutes, case law, and procedural rules is inspiring.
—Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 21 May 2019
See All Example Sentences for turpitude
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turpitude
Noun
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For Parisian Jews in 1941 and 1942, these thefts were compounded by a cascade of other degradations, including the loss of distinguished positions at the Sorbonne, in banking, science, and medicine, with more devastation to come.—
Christopher C. Gorham
September 29,
Literary Hub,
29 Sep. 2025
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Zanardi’s statement provides a glimpse into the way detentions have been conducted as well as the powerful degradation of trust in the system that has led up to two-thirds of immigrants scheduled for hearings to skip them in fear of arrest.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In 2019, the 37-year-old Bukele ran for president as a populist outsider promising to defeat crime and corruption in a nation with one of the world’s worst homicide rates and a history of former presidents being charged with crimes.—
T. Christian Miller,
ProPublica,
30 Sep. 2025
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Milei has had more success taming Argentina’s hyperinflation than first expected, but has been dealing with a brewing currency crisis and several corruption scandals.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Turpitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turpitude. Accessed 3 Oct. 2025.
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