decadence

[ dek-uh-duhns, dih-keyd-ns ]

noun

1. the act or process of falling into an inferior condition or state; deterioration; decay:

   Some historians hold that the fall of Rome can be attributed to internal decadence.

   Synonyms: decline, retrogression, degeneration

2. moral degeneration or decay; turpitude.
3. unrestrained or excessive self-indulgence.
4. (often initial capital letter) the decadent movement in literature.

decadence

/ ˈdɛkədəns /

noun

1. deterioration, esp of morality or culture; decay; degeneration
2. the state reached through such a process

Other Words From

• non·deca·dence noun
• non·deca·den·cy noun
• over·deca·dence noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of decadence¹

First recorded in 1540–50; from Middle French, from Medieval Latin dēcadentia, from Late Latin dēcadent-, stem of dēcadēns “falling away” (present participle of dēcadere “to fall away,” from de- de- + cad(ere) “to fall”) + -ia -y ³( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of decadence¹

C16: from French, from Medieval Latin dēcadentia, literally: a falling away; see decay

Example Sentences

It’s a sinister mode of decadence — decadent minimalism, where overt virtue signaling meets seemingly neurotic purity fantasies, where customers dance in the glow of the glare on bulk bins.

From Los Angeles Times

To judge by the chartreuse-covered Forum crowd, Brat summer may yet endure as Gen Z’s own Margaritaville, an ageless mentality about decadence and unruliness.

From Los Angeles Times

Hits like “TQM” and “Sabor Fresa” have become part of the SoCal landscape, with keening horns and neatly interlocked guitar and tololoche lines evoking Mexican tradition, while Paz spins woozy tales of high life decadence at the edge of the underworld.

From Los Angeles Times

"The opera, in structuring itself around America and Rome, invites a dialogue between those two societies that are often compared to each other in decadence and decay."

From Salon

All four groups—al-Qaida, ISIS, Hamas, and Hezbollah—demonize the Western “decadence” that, to their eyes, crowded raucous rock concerts symbolize.

From Slate