depravity
/dɪˈprævəti/ (bre, ipa) · /dɪˈprævəti/ (ame, ipa) · /di-ˈpra-və-tē also -ˈprā-/ (ame, mw)
depravity — noun
- depravitysingular
- depravitiesplural
1. the quality of being extremely immoral, shown through a complete lack of concern
the quality of being extremely immoral, shown through a complete lack of concern for what is right and wrong, often resulting in cruel or harmful behaviour
A documentary about the warlord revealed a level of depravity that shocked viewers worldwide.
collocation: level of depravity
Elena could not believe the depravity of factory owners who employed children in dangerous conditions.
pattern: depravity of [someone]
The novel follows a banker's slow descent into depravity after years of embezzling client funds.
Father Osei witnessed extreme depravity during two decades of work inside Brazil's prison system.
Historians argue that the regime's depravity reached its worst point in the winter of 1942.
- corruption
more general term for dishonest or immoral behaviour, often in politics or business; depravity implies a deeper, more twisted evil
- wickedness
slightly old-fashioned; broader and less formal, used in both religious and everyday contexts
- immorality
covers any violation of moral principles from minor to serious; depravity is at the extreme end
- degeneracy
emphasises decline from a previous higher standard; often carries a judgmental tone
- virtue
moral excellence and goodness
- morality
principles of right and wrong behaviour
- righteousness
being morally right and just, often in a religious sense
文法句型
depravity of + noun phrase
act of depravity
depths of depravity
用法筆記
Common in formal, literary, or legal discourse. Frequently modified by 'moral' or 'human'. The phrase 'the depths of depravity' is a common intensifier.