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debauchery

[dih-baw-chuh-ree]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR debauchery ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural de·bauch·er·ies.

excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures; intemperance.

Archaic. seduction from duty, allegiance, or virtue.

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The Oldest Abbreviations In English

Read more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.

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Origin of debauchery

First recorded in 1635–45; debauch + -ery

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for debauchery

Contemporary Examples of debauchery

The emperor Nero—known for his debauchery apparently collected the things.
Spain’s New ‘Holy Grail’: Jesus Couldn’t Afford That Kind of Bling
Candida Moss
April 6, 2014
But only in recent years have athletes begun to divulge lurid details of Olympic sexcapades and debauchery.
Sochi Athletes Get It On At The Tinder Olympics
Lizzie Crocker
February 14, 2014
Instead, check out Sutherland's Christmas moment of self-awareness, in which he intimates the true source of his debauchery.
When Celebs Get Wasted
Gina Piccalo
December 4, 2010

Historical Examples of debauchery

Men who take from the poor daily interest for a drachma, and spend it in debauchery.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
You look in vain for any outward signs of profligacy or debauchery.
Sunday under Three Heads
Charles Dickens
Debauchery had rejected them, it had just cast them back to their anguish.
Therese Raquin
Emile Zola
It was a long night of debauchery, and this that we now see is the sad morning afterwards!
Sir Jasper Carew
Charles James Lever
I saw her on the high road to debauchery, and it was my own doing!
The Memoires of Casanova, Complete
Jacques Casanova de Seingalt

Word Origin and History for debauchery

n.

1640s, from debauch + -ery. With a variety of spellings in 17c., e.g. debaush-, deboich-, debosh-.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper