What does pravity mean?
Pravity is a formal noun meaning wickedness, moral corruption, or a state of depravity. It is typically used when describing a person's actions, a society, or the general condition of human conduct, especially in literary, religious, philosophical, or political discussion. The word carries a strongly condemnatory tone and can imply not merely individual bad behavior but a broader pattern of moral failure. For example, a writer might describe the pravity of corruption in government or the pravity of a culture in which cruelty has become ordinary. Pravity is relatively uncommon, so the more familiar words depravity, wickedness, and vice are often better choices in ordinary speech. Although it can be confused with gravity because of their similar appearance and sound, pravity concerns moral evil, whereas gravity primarily refers to weight, seriousness, or solemn behavior.
nounPravity means moral corruption, wickedness, or depravity. It is a formal and relatively rare term, usually used in serious literary, religious, or philosophical contexts.
- Wickedness or moral corruption
- A state or quality of being wicked or depraved
"The speech condemned the pravity of a society in which personal gain had replaced moral responsibility."
"The author explored the pravity of corruption within the ruling class."
"Religious leaders spoke of the pravity of the temptation facing the community."
The plural is grammatical but rarely used because the word itself is uncommon.
"The novel examines the moral pravities hidden beneath the appearance of respectability."
Pravity is the literary opposite of lightness in a moral sense: it names the weight of wickedness, not the weight of an object.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pravity come from?
Pravity derives from Latin pravitas, meaning 'badness' or 'wickedness,' which is related to pravus, meaning 'crooked' or 'bad' in a moral sense. English adopted the word through the language's historical contact with Latin and French. The same Latin root also underlies related English forms such as depravity, deprave, and depraved.
How pravity is actually used
Pravity is uncommon in everyday English and has a formal, elevated, or literary tone. It can sound moralizing or condemning, depending on context. It should not be confused with the much more common word gravity.
Easily confused with pravity
Pravity means moral wickedness, while gravity means seriousness, weight, or a quality of solemn importance.