depraved
Americanadjective
adjective
Synonym Usage
See immoral.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of depraved
Explanation
Depraved is the way to describe perverse behavior lacking moral decency. It's hard to be depraved when you spend your days defining words at your computer, but the mind does wander. Some would argue that morality is a subjective thing, so one man's depravity is another man's good time. Generally speaking, however, depraved is the "go-to word" when describing perverts and serial killers. Some rock stars seek out a depraved reputation, but it's mostly for show — they can be as dull as the rest of us.
Vocabulary lists containing depraved
Flowers for Algernon
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Just Mercy
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Bob Dylan Wins Nobel Prize in Literature
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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.
Neill seemed to savor the chance to go deeper, to look more closely at our innate capacity for acts both moral and depraved.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
However perverse and depraved the ideas that animate the Islamic Republic and Hezbollah, they inspire the kind of conviction that motivates people to fight grimly on against the odds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
Yet its parties, even at their most decadent and depraved, were never quite cool.
From Slate ● Mar. 30, 2026
Intimately acquainted with Richard’s malignity, these ruined royals know only too well the toll of his depraved machinations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2026
“My pubescent nemesis. What a promising day this appears to be. I am apparently to be run over by a streetcar and robbed simultaneously, thereby setting a Paradise record. Get away, you depraved urchin.”
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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.
