depravity
noun
de·prav·i·ty
di-ˈpra-və-tē 
also -ˈprā-
plural depravities
1
: a corrupt act or practice
the depravities of war
2
: the quality or state of being corrupt, evil, or perverted : the quality or state of being depraved
He is awed by its fabulous wealth but deeply troubled by what he sees as its moral depravity …—
Nicholas D. Kristof
Nicholas D. KristofExamples of depravity in a Sentence
He was sinking into a life of utter depravity.
People were shocked by the depravity of her actions.
Recent Examples on the Web
And that’s why Democrats on social media are celebrating his murder with such malignant depravity.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
Lurking beneath the antisocial facade is a simmering sense of pride for these depths of depravity.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 10 Sep. 2025
Here was the postwar American housewife—neatly dressed, pretty, poised, active—stepping unwittingly into a scene of utter depravity and sadism that reflected back at this wholesome young mother the darkest recesses of the human mind.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2025
Back then, many conservatives treated the Epstein files as a skeleton key promising cataclysmic revelations about elite depravity and corruption.
—Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for depravity
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Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
Lurking beneath the antisocial facade is a simmering sense of pride for these depths of depravity.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 10 Sep. 2025
Here was the postwar American housewife—neatly dressed, pretty, poised, active—stepping unwittingly into a scene of utter depravity and sadism that reflected back at this wholesome young mother the darkest recesses of the human mind.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2025
Back then, many conservatives treated the Epstein files as a skeleton key promising cataclysmic revelations about elite depravity and corruption.
—Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for depravity
Cite this Entry
“Depravity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/depravity. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
depravity
noun
de·prav·i·ty
di-ˈprav-ət-ē
plural depravities
1
: a corrupt act or practice
2
: the quality or state of being depraved
Legal Definition
depravity
noun
de·prav·i·ty
di-ˈpra-və-tē
plural depravities
1
: the quality or state of being depraved
2
: a corrupt act or practice
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