What does depravity mean?
Depravity refers to extreme moral corruption: a state of being thoroughly wicked, degenerate, or morally perverted. It is among the strongest words English offers for condemning conduct, reserved for acts and conditions that violate basic standards of decency — cruelty, exploitation, sadism, or systematic corruption. The word can denote a general condition ('the depravity of the regime') as well as individual corrupt acts ('his petty depravities'). It appears most often in formal registers: journalism, literature, law, theology, and historical writing. Common collocations include 'moral depravity' and 'depths of depravity'. Derived from Latin roots meaning 'to make crooked', it carries an enduring image of morality bent out of true shape, which makes it both vivid and damning in use.
Extreme moral corruption or wickedness; the condition of being morally degenerate.
"Witnesses described the depravity of the conditions inside the prison camp."
Often intensified with words like 'utter', 'sheer', or 'unspeakable'.
A specific corrupt, evil, or perverted act or practice.
"The memoir catalogues the small depravities of court life under the old regime."
Usually used in the plural for this sense.
The plural is used when referring to multiple distinct corrupt acts or practices rather than the general condition of moral corruption, which is normally uncountable.
"The report detailed the depravities committed during the occupation."
Depravity comes from the Latin 'depravare' — literally to make crooked — so every act of depravity was, etymologically, a bending of what should be straight.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of depravity
Depravity derives from the Latin verb 'depravare', formed from 'de-' (intensive) plus 'pravus' (crooked, warped), meaning to distort or make crooked — originally in both physical and moral senses. It entered English in the early modern period, by the mid-16th century, carrying the sense of moral corruption from the outset. Cognate forms such as 'deprave' and 'depraved' share the same Latin root, as does the rarer noun 'pravity'.
Related word forms
How depravity is actually used
Depravity is a formal word with strongly negative connotations, typically used in literary, journalistic, legal, or religious contexts to describe extreme moral corruption rather than minor wrongdoing. It often appears in the plural when referring to individual corrupt acts.
Easily confused with depravity
Deprivation means the loss or denial of something needed, while depravity means moral corruption.
Depraved is an adjective describing someone or something morally corrupted, whereas depravity is the noun naming that corruption itself.