What does whoredom mean?
Whoredom is an uncommon and strongly moralized English noun for prostitution: the practice of providing sexual services in exchange for money. In modern writing it is encountered more often in historical, literary, religious, or deliberately polemical contexts than in neutral discussion of sex work. The word can also operate figuratively. In biblical and sermonic language, "whoredom" describes sexual immorality or infidelity and, more specifically, the worship of false gods or the betrayal of a true God. This broader sense helped turn the word into a symbol of moral corruption, comparable in rhetoric to adultery without being simply a synonym for it. Because it labels both an activity and the social world associated with it, whoredom often carries implications of exploitation, degradation, and institutional decay. Its clearest contemporary use is as a forceful condemnation, while its unusual register makes it unsuitable as a euphemistic substitute for "prostitution." Understanding both the literal and figurative senses explains its presence in religious argument, political rhetoric, and older fiction.
nounWhoredom means prostitution, especially the practice of providing sexual services in exchange for money. In older religious and literary usage, it can also mean sexual immorality or, figuratively, infidelity and idolatry.
- Prostitution, especially the practice of providing sexual services for money.
- Sexual immorality or infidelity, especially in moralistic or literary language.
- In biblical metaphor, idolatry or the betrayal of the one true God.
"The preacher warned that the town's apparent virtue concealed a culture of whoredom."
"The novel exposes the whoredom of the waterfront and the exploitation it enabled."
"She spoke bitterly about the city's whoredom, blaming both merchants and politicians."
The plural is rare and occurs mainly in literary or historical contexts.
"The novel portrays the whoredoms that flourish around its port city."
Built from whore and the suffix -dom, whoredom literally means the condition or realm of being a whore.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does whoredom come from?
Whoredom was formed in English from the Middle English base whore and the productive suffix -dom. The base descends from Old English hore, while -dom forms abstract nouns denoting a state, condition, or realm. The compound originally referred to the condition or practice of being a whore, and later religious writers extended it figuratively to sexual immorality and idolatry.
How whoredom is actually used
Now chiefly literary, archaic, religious, or strongly derogatory. It often conveys moral corruption and is unsuitable as a neutral or clinical substitute for "prostitution."
Easily confused with whoredom
Whoring refers to engaging in prostitution, while whoredom names the practice or social phenomenon more broadly.