depraved
/dɪˈpreɪvd/ (bre, ipa) · /dɪˈpreɪvd/ (ame, ipa) · /di-ˈprāvd/ (ame, mw)
depraved — adjective
- depravedpositive
- more depravedcomparative
- most depravedsuperlative
1. having lost all sense of right and wrong, so willing to behave in cruel, shockin
having lost all sense of right and wrong, so willing to behave in cruel, shocking, or twisted ways that most people would condemn.
The judge called the attack on the elderly couple one of the most depraved crimes she had heard.
courtroom register: depraved crime / act
Takeshi was disgusted by the depraved behavior shown in the leaked prison video.
collocation: depraved behavior
Only a deeply depraved person would steal medicine from a children's hospital.
The novel follows a depraved nobleman who treats his servants like animals for his own amusement.
Amira left the cinema halfway through, calling the film's torture scenes utterly depraved.
- wicked
Common in storytelling and everyday speech; depraved is more formal and clinical, often used by judges or moralists.
- perverted
Usually points to sexual or psychological twistedness; depraved is broader, covering all kinds of cruelty.
- corrupt
Often about dishonesty and abuse of power; depraved focuses on moral collapse and cruel acts rather than financial wrongdoing.
- degenerate
Suggests a decline from a higher moral state; depraved emphasizes the current cruel or twisted condition itself.
文法句型
a depraved [person / act / mind]
be depraved
deeply / utterly depraved
用法筆記
Strongest of the moral-corruption adjectives. Reserved for behavior so cruel or twisted that it shocks ordinary people — judges, journalists, and religious writers use it for the worst acts. Distinguish from immoral (sense 1): immoral covers a wide range from minor wrongdoing to serious harm, while depraved sits at the extreme end and almost always implies cruelty or perversion.