depravation
/,deprə'veiʃn/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: 1. The act of corrupting or making morally worse: The process of causing someone or something to decline from a state of virtue, purity, or moral soundness. 2. The state of being morally corrupted or perverted: A condition of extreme moral degradation, wickedness, or depravity.
Usage
- "Depravation" is a formal noun, often used in moral, philosophical, or social critiques. It describes a profound decline in moral character, either as an active process or the resulting state.
- It is frequently used in contexts discussing societal decay, the corrupting influence of power or luxury, or the loss of ethical principles.
Examples
- The novel explores the depravation of a noble soul by greed and ambition.
- Historians often cite the moral depravation of the ruling class as a factor in the empire's collapse.
- The film does not shy away from depicting the utter depravation found in the city's underworld.
Advanced Usage
- "Moral depravation": A common collocation emphasizing the ethical dimension of the corruption.
- The scandal revealed a shocking level of moral depravation within the institution.
- Used in a more abstract, personified sense:
- The city was a sink of depravation.
Variants and Related Words
- Deprave (verb): To corrupt morally.
- Depraved (adjective): Morally corrupt; wicked.
- Depravity (noun): The state of being depraved; moral corruption. Often used interchangeably with "depravation," though "depravity" is more common for describing the state itself.
Synonyms
- Corruption
- Degeneracy
- Debasement
- Perversion
- Wickedness
Antonyms
- Virtue
- Integrity
- Righteousness
- Purity
- Morality
Noun
- moral perversion; impairment of virtue and moral principles
- the luxury and corruption among the upper classes
- moral degeneracy followed intellectual degeneration
- its brothels, its opium parlors, its depravity
- Rome had fallen into moral putrefaction