Meaning & use
decadence
Moral or cultural decline caused by excessive indulgence in luxury and pleasure.
See it in a sentence
Historians often point to decadence as one cause of the empire's decline.
The lavish party was a picture of pure decadence, with endless food and champagne.
A note on using this word
Decadence can describe either a critical judgment of moral decline or, more playfully, luxurious self-indulgence, as in a decadent dessert.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
restraintausterity
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