Meaning & use
decadence
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Meanings
noununcountable
A state of moral or cultural decline caused by too much pleasure and luxury.
Grammar: Used without a/an or plural: 'the decadence of the empire'.
Patterns
- the decadence of something
- moral decadence
The novel portrays the decadence of the ruling class before the revolution.
Critics complained that the art show celebrated decadence rather than virtue.
Some historians blame the fall of Rome on political and moral decadence.
noununcountablehumorous
Behavior that shows a love of luxury and pleasure, often in a playful or approving way.
Grammar: Often used with a hint of humor or admiration: 'pure decadence'.
Patterns
- pure decadence
- an air of decadence
Spending the afternoon eating chocolate cake in bed felt like pure decadence.
The hotel lobby was all gold and velvet—a temple of decadence.
They enjoyed a weekend of decadence: spa treatments, champagne, and no phones.
Common combinations
- moral decadence
- The sermon warned against the moral decadence of modern society.
- cultural decadence
- Many saw the movement as a sign of cultural decadence.
- an era of decadence
- The city entered an era of decadence and excess.
- wallow in decadence
- For one week a year, they wallow in decadence at a luxury resort.
Synonyms and how they differ
- decay
- Decay is a more general word for gradual decline and can refer to physical things; decadence is specifically about moral or cultural decline from luxury.
- degeneracy
- Degeneracy is a stronger, more formal and often disapproving term for moral decline; decadence can be used more lightly.
- indulgence
- Indulgence focuses on the act of allowing yourself pleasure, not necessarily on a whole society's decline.
Opposites
Word family
- decadent adjective
- Describing something or someone marked by decadence.
- decadently adverb
- In a decadent manner.
Commonly confused: decadence or decay?
decadence vs decay
Decay often refers to physical rotting or gradual decline of objects; decadence is about moral or cultural decline from luxury.
Practice
The empire's fall was blamed on the ______ of its ruling class, who cared only for pleasure.
Choose one answer.
Decadence fits because it specifically means moral or cultural decline caused by excessive luxury and pleasure. 'Decay' is more about physical rotting or general decline, 'decline' is neutral and doesn't imply luxury, and 'decrease' means a reduction in number or size.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “decadence”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.