Meaning & use
depravity
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Meanings
noununcountableformaldisapproving
Deep moral corruption, showing in wicked or shameful behavior.
Grammar: Uncountable: the depravity of the crime.
Patterns
- the depravity of something
- moral depravity
Judges spoke of the sheer depravity of the attack.
The novel explores the depravity of a corrupt court.
nounusually pluralformal
A wicked or immoral act.
Grammar: Often plural: the depravities of war.
Patterns
- depravities of something
The report listed the depravities of the regime.
He wrote about the depravities he had witnessed.
Word forms
| plural | depravities |
|---|
Common combinations
- moral depravity
- The film shows moral depravity.
- depths of depravity
- He sank to new depths of depravity.
- sheer depravity
- It was sheer depravity.
- human depravity
- The history shows human depravity.
Synonyms and how they differ
- wickedness
- Plainer, and can be used more lightly.
- corruption
- Wider; can also mean dishonesty in office.
- degeneracy
- Suggests decline from a former standard.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: depravity or deprivation?
depravity vs deprivation
Deprivation means lacking basic needs, not being immoral.
Practice
The judge condemned the ___ of the crime, calling it beyond understanding.
Choose one answer.
Depravity is moral wickedness. Deprivation sounds similar but means lack.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “depravity”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.