orgy
Americannoun
plural
orgies-
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
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.
Davidsen starts this “Salome” in a back room of the brutalist set where Herod’s orgy is taking place, wearing a white raincoat, her black hair stringy in a Goth look.
From Seattle Times • May 13, 2024
The house-proud suburban couples were as bad at it as the campus conservatives and the guy trying to throw an orgy.
From Washington Post • Feb. 23, 2023
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
Beyond shame, I cradled my head in my arms and embarked on an orgy of self-pity.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
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.
