debauchery
Americannoun
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excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures; intemperance.
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Archaic. seduction from duty, allegiance, or virtue.
Usage
What does debauchery mean? Debauchery is behavior considered excessively decadent, indulgent, and depraved. It’s especially used to collectively refer to drug use, excessive drinking, promiscuous sex, and the kind of uninhibited activity that happens at wild parties. Debauchery has traditionally been used in a negative way by those who condemn it as immoral or sinful. But it is also used in a somewhat ironic way by those who engage in such activity to celebrate it or make it seem fun. Example: Hair metal bands in the ’80s were notorious for their backstage debauchery.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of debauchery
Explanation
Debauchery is a noun meaning crazy partying and wild nights, usually accompanied by a lot of alcohol. So you probably don't want to engage in any kind of debauchery the night before an exam. Debauchery is all about indulging in some of life's pleasures — overindulging, in fact. It stems from the Middle French word debaucher, which means to “entice from work or duty.” So imagine workers being tempted from another day at the office by the promise of a wild bender in Vegas. Or college kids putting down the books and heeding the siren call of the frat party downstairs.
Vocabulary lists containing debauchery
Mardi Gras: Fun
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The Stranger
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The Picture of Dorian Gray
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“It was debauchery! Debauchery going on!” says Cuarón, mocking the hysterical tone of the news coverage.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 3, 2019
New Hampshire's largest newspaper, the archconservative Manchester Union Leader, followed with a front-page expos� titled "Bare Debauchery at Franconia College."
From Time Magazine Archive
"Debauchery is a pig's breakfast," one anguished citizen wrote the Lisbon weekly Expresso.
From Time Magazine Archive
The Pit-friends were sturdy practicants who, when they hear that “Ill-nature, Debauchery, and Irreligion were Mathematics and Demonstration, clap and shout, and swear by all that comes from Malmesbury.”
From Calamities and Quarrels of Authors by Disraeli, Isaac
With such false Colours have the Eyes of Lewis been enchanted, from the Debauchery of his early Youth, to the Superstition of his present old Age.
From The Spectator, Volume 1 Eighteenth-Century Periodical Essays by Addison, Joseph
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
