depraved

[dih-preyvd]

adjective

1. corrupt, wicked, or perverted.

   Synonyms: lewd, licentious, profligate, dissolute, degenerate, reprobate, sinful, evil

depraved

/ dɪˈpreɪvɪdnɪs, dɪˈpreɪvd /

adjective

1. morally bad or debased; corrupt; perverted

Other Word Forms

• depravedly adverb
• depravedness noun
• nondepraved adjective
• self-depraved adjective
• undepraved adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of depraved¹

First recorded in 1585–95; deprave + -ed ²

Synonym Study

See immoral.

Example Sentences

The lasting lesson from the original movie is not that mobs are depraved or that TV is stupid, but that Mr. Schwarzenegger had a special gift for making otherwise terrible efforts watchable.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"And his depraved strikes on young children in a nursery this week make that crystal clear," he added.

Read more on BBC

But the current purpose of the lie is even more depraved than we usually get from this self-proclaimed beacon of Christian morality.

Read more on Salon

The trial judge described him as "depraved", "arrogant" and a "bully".

Read more on BBC

Etoria and four other individuals - from Cuba, Laos, Vietnam and Yemen - were described by the US government as "depraved monsters" when they were expelled to Eswatini in southern Africa in July.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• lewd 
• nefarious 
• shameless 
• sinful 
• vicious 
• vile 
• wanton 
• warped 
• wicked