bankruptcy
/ˈbaŋkrʌptsi
/noun (plural bankruptcies) [mass noun]
1The state of being bankrupt: many companies were facing bankruptcy [count noun]: a 7% increase in bankruptcies...
- During a recession, the increase in bankruptcies and the fall in asset prices shrink the asset bases of the banks.
- The Enterprise Bill will help to reduce the stigma associated with honest failures, including bad-luck bankruptcies.
- Most of the bankruptcies stemmed from excess debt and other problems exacerbated by the slowdown.
Synonyms
insolvency, liquidation, failure, (financial) ruin, ruination, debt, indebtedness;
penury, beggary;
British administration, receivership
rare pauperdom
2The state of being completely lacking in a particular good quality: the intellectual bankruptcy of the corporate media...
- Her literary debut, The Grass Is Singing, exposed the moral bankruptcy of the white settler culture.
- This type of moral and epistemic bankruptcy is now entrenched in the corporation's output.
- The demons of hell are having a celebration, cheering the moral bankruptcy of our generation!