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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The team believes their approach could eventually help regions struggling with industrial contamination and agricultural degradation.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Oct. 2025
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Housing materials in artistic practice are fitting for an environment that is constantly under simultaneous construction and degradation, with sea levels continuing to rise, potholes throughout the city and as our own infrastructure buckles under the weight of an ever growing population.—
Mario Rodriguez,
Miami Herald,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Now its economy has collapsed under the weight of corruption, mismanagement, human rights violations and other woes.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
29 Oct. 2025
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That’s what happened in October 2019, when demonstrations against corruption and high unemployment broke out across Iraq, leading to street clashes that left hundreds of people dead.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Turpitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turpitude. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
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