Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Decadent, declining, in a state of decay: Describes a state of gradual weakening, deterioration, or moral decline, often from a previous state of strength, prosperity, or virtue. It implies a process of becoming worse or falling into ruin.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Nền văn minh đó đang trở nên suy bại. (That civilization is becoming decadent.)
  • Một xã hội suy bại thường có nhiều tệ nạn. (A decadent society often has many social evils.)
  • Sau thời kỳ hoàng kim, đế chế bước vào giai đoạn suy bại. (After its golden age, the empire entered a period of decline.)

Advanced Usage

• "suy bại về đạo đức": morally decadent.
  • Lối sống ấy thể hiện sự suy bại về đạo đức. (That lifestyle reflects moral decadence.)
• Used to describe abstract concepts like civilizations, societies, eras, morals, or institutions, rather than temporary physical conditions.

Variants and Related Words

• Suy (verb): to decline, to weaken, to deduce.
• Bại (verb/adjective): to be defeated, to fail; rotten, spoiled.
• Suy đồi (adjective): degenerate, depraved (often with a stronger negative moral connotation than ).
• Suy tàn (adjective): declining, waning, fading (often used for power, influence, or dynasties).
• Thoái hóa (verb/adjective): to degenerate, degeneration (often used in biological or moral contexts).

Synonyms

• Thoái trào: on the decline, ebbing.
• Sa sút: to deteriorate, to decline (often in quality or fortune).
• Tàn lụi: to wither away, to perish.

Related Idioms

• "Suy bại không thể cứu vãn": irredeemable decay.
  • Tình hình công ty đã đến mức suy bại không thể cứu vãn. (The company's situation has reached a point of irredeemable decay.)
• While itself is not commonly part of a fixed idiomatic structure, it is frequently used in descriptive phrases about the state of nations, cultures, or moral fiber.

1. Decadent