pravity

Definition

Noun (uncountable, rare):
- Moral corruption or depravity: "pravity" refers to a state of wickedness, moral decay, or extreme perversion of character.
- Physical decay or rottenness (obsolete): In older usage, "pravity" could also mean the state of being spoiled, rotten, or putrid, especially in food.

Usage Examples

• (Moral corruption in a society.)
• (Innate wickedness in people.)
• (Physical rottenness; now archaic.)

Advanced Usage

• "pravity of the heart": a phrase used in theological or moral contexts to denote inherent evil or sinful disposition.
  • The preacher spoke of the pravity of the heart that leads to selfish actions. (Innate moral corruption.)

Variants and Related Words

• Depravity (n): the more common synonym for moral corruption.
  • The novel explores the depths of human depravity. (Extreme wickedness.)
• Pravitous (adj, rare): characterized by pravity; corrupt.
  • His pravitous deeds shocked the community. (His corrupt actions.)

Synonyms

• Depravity: moral corruption; wickedness.
• Corruption: dishonest or immoral behavior.
• Wickedness: the quality of being evil or morally wrong.
• Rottenness: the state of being decayed or spoiled (physical sense).

Related Idioms

• (No common idioms directly use "pravity," as it is a rare word. However, it may appear in formal or literary phrases such as "the pravity of the age" to criticize societal decline.)

Word Origin

• From Latin , meaning "crookedness, deformity, perversity," from ("crooked, bad").