orgy
Americannoun
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wild or drunken festivity or revelry, especially involving sex with multiple participants.
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any actions or proceedings marked by unbridled indulgence of passions.
an orgy of killing.
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orgies, (in ancient Greece) esoteric religious rituals, especially in the worship of Demeter or Dionysus, characterized in later times by wild dancing, singing, and drinking.
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Informal. a boisterous, rowdy party.
noun
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a wild gathering marked by promiscuous sexual activity, excessive drinking, etc
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an act of immoderate or frenzied indulgence
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(often plural) secret religious rites of Dionysus, Bacchus, etc, marked by drinking, dancing, and songs
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of orgy
First recorded in 1580–90; from Middle French orgie, from Latin orgia (neuter plural) “secret rites,” from Greek órgia, akin to érgon “work”; see also work
Explanation
If you have an orgy of presents or snacks or even new ideas, you have so many it's almost obscene. In this figurative use, orgy means an event where there is just too much of a good thing! The word orgy comes from the Greek orgia meaning "secret rites" which referred to the secret rites of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and love-making. An orgy is a gathering of a number of people that involves sex and drinking. You can use the word orgy to refer to any intense, excessive activity. Before school starts in the fall, most kids get to go on an orgy of shopping for clothes and school supplies.
Vocabulary lists containing orgy
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.
In fact it must always be the last resort, and then not be allowed to turn into an orgy of dominance over the foe.
From Salon • Nov. 8, 2022
"There's been an orgy of disinformation over Ukraine," political commentator Peter Kreko told me.
From BBC • Apr. 4, 2022
When Atiya Walcott’s Eve confronts a multiheaded Serpent, conceived as an orgy of voices and limbs, human vulnerability is endowed with aching grace.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 27, 2021
In the video, he quotes the novelist Leo Tolstoy: “The villains who robbed the people gathered together, recruited soldiers and judges to guard their orgy, and are feasting.”
From Washington Post • Jan. 26, 2021
In 1924, the Indian Rights Association, which defended the interests of indigenous communities, conducted an investigation into what it described as “an orgy of graft and exploitation.”
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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.
