If you say that a person or society is decadent, you think that they have low moral standards and are interested mainly in pleasure.
[disapproval]
...restrictions on the number of decadent western films that were allowed to be shown.
...the excesses and stresses of their decadent rock 'n' roll lifestyles.
Synonyms: degenerate, abandoned, corrupt, degraded More Synonyms of decadent
decadenceuncountable noun
The empire had for years been falling into decadence.
Synonyms: degeneration, decline, corruption, fall More Synonyms of decadent
decadent in British English
(ˈdɛkədənt)
adjective
1.
characterized by decay or decline, as in being self-indulgent or morally corrupt
2.
belonging to a period of decline in artistic standards
noun
3.
a decadent person
4. (often capital)
one of a group of French and English writers of the late 19th century whose works were characterized by refinement of style and a tendency towards the artificial and abnormal
Derived forms
decadently (ˈdecadently)
adverb
decadent in American English
(ˈdɛkədənt; also dɪˈkeɪdənt)
adjective
1.
in a state of decline; characterized by decadence
noun
2.
a decadent person, esp. a writer or artist active in a period of decadence
3. [oftenD-]
any of a group of late-19th-cent., chiefly French writers characterized by a highly mannered style and an emphasis on the morbid and perverse
Derived forms
decadently (ˈdecadently)
adverb
Word origin
Fr décadent: see decadence
Examples of 'decadent' in a sentence
decadent
The characters of these poems forlornly look for redemption in a decadent society on the edge of collapse.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Blend glamour and glitz with decadent style.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
His father frittered away millions on a decadent lifestyle.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Raúl experiences a stifling home life in what already feels like a hopelessly backward and decadent society.
The Times Literary Supplement (2012)
It is a cautionary tale with wry observations about our decadent society entwined around a mournful melody.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Is not the very fact that leisure has become a subject of study a sure sign of a decadent society?
Christianity Today (2000)
Modern Western styles of art and literature were attacked as decadent.
Stearns, Peter N. World History: Patterns of Change and Continuity (1995)
Convinced that modern society was decadent, he was all for the noble savage.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
I think they are the symbol of a decadent and corrupt regime.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Seeing as we were about to become bona fide artists at our next class, it seemed suitably decadent.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Our style is decadent and tongue-in-cheek.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
A fugitive gangster takes refuge in a decadent rock star's London home.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Measure for Measure is about an extremely decadent society, where the politicians charged with cleaning it up are perhaps more corrupt than the society.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
In other languages
decadent
British English: decadent ADJECTIVE
If you say that a person or society is decadent, you think that they have low moral standards and are interested mainly in pleasure.
...the excesses and stresses of their decadent lifestyles.
American English: decadent
Brazilian Portuguese: decadente
Chinese: 堕落的
European Spanish: decadente
French: décadent
German: dekadent
Italian: decadente
Japanese: 頽廃的な
Korean: 퇴폐적인
European Portuguese: decadente
Latin American Spanish: decadente
(adjective)
the excesses of their decadent rock `n' roll lifestyles
Synonyms
degenerate
the degenerate attitudes he found among some of his fellow officers
abandoned
corrupt
corrupt politicians who took bribes
degraded
morally degraded individuals
immoral
It is immoral to persist with a system that impoverishes so many people.
self-indulgent
depraved
It has been condemned as the most depraved film of its kind.
debased
a dysfunctional and morally debased organization
debauched
a debauched circus performer in nineteenth-century Poland
dissolute
She regretted her dissolute life.
Opposites
good
,
principled
,
moral
,
decent
,
proper
,
ethical
,
upright
,
honourable
,
virtuous
,
high-minded
,
upstanding
,
incorruptible
Additional synonyms
in the sense of abandoned
Synonyms
depraved,
corrupt,
dissipated,
wicked,
sinful,
wanton,
profligate,
debauched,
dissolute,
reprobate
in the sense of corrupt
Definition
open to or involving bribery or other dishonest practices