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Depraved Definition – Meaning And Usage In A Sentence

Depraved Definition – Meaning And Usage In A Sentence

Studies show that more than two billion people speak English, making it the most spoken language in the world. But do you know that most English speakers only recognize around 42000 of the hundreds of thousands of words in this language? “Depraved” is among the familiar words, and we will let you know the depraved definition.

Depraved means “deviating from what is considered moral, right, good, or proper.” Refer to this word when describing something or someone that lacks integrity. Depraved also means something or someone corrupt or an action marked or incited by evil or maliciousness.

Depraved is a popular word in many writings, articles, and headlines. In addition to the above meanings, a perverted person or activity can also be described as depraved. That tells you the word is rich in meanings. So, do you know any other meaning of this word and how to use it correctly in sentences? Find out that, and much more, in this article.

depraved spelled on foam letters

What is the Definition of Depraved?

Depraved is defined as perverse behavior lacking moral decency or behavior that deviates from what is considered morally proper or acceptable. Note that morality is at times dependent on what a particular society or a group of people believes in.

Here are some examples in sentences:

  • The other boys in his class were not as lucky as Sam to escape Margret’s lecherous depraved.
  • The twins did some depraved things to receive their prison sentences.
  • Mercy had to devise a wicked plan to satisfy her depraved appetite for beef while lying to everyone that she is a vegan.

Are There Other Meanings of Depraved?

Depraved is one of the simplest words with a few meanings. You will also realize that even the different means have some closeness. Here are some other meanings (closely related) of depraved you should know.

Depraved is the past tense of “deprave,” which means to defame or slander, speak ill of, or make bad or worse.

Depraved also means something wicked or forbidden. This meaning isn’t constant on a particular “wicked” thing. It’s because what is forbidden in one area might not be an issue elsewhere. So use the word with this meaning in contexts you are sure the audience understands you.

How Do You Use Depraved in Different Contexts?

The word “depraved” can be used in various contexts, depending on the word form. Below are some context examples.

  • To describe someone perverted
  • To explain something extremely moral in a moral sense
  • To describe something or someone inhumanly or outrageously evil or immorally wrong
  • You can also use deprived as past tense for “decreasing in value, character, quality, or especially morally.

Questions Most People Ask About Depraved?

The word depraved is common, but not to all people. That is why people ask many questions about it online and offline. Some of these questions are;

  1. Is depraved a positive word? Depraved is a relatively negative word because of its meaning. Therefore, describing someone as depraved is not something positive. Most of the time, it is a criticism and sometimes an insult. Therefore, the straightforward answer is NO; depraved is not a positive word.
  2. What part of speech is the word “depraved?” The word “depraved” is an adjective, a part of speech that describes a noun or a pronoun. In simpler terms, an adjective tells you more about a noun or pronoun. “Depraved” is an adjective because you can use it to describe a person or an activity. Note that “depraved” is also a verb, meaning past tense of depraved, which is to decrease in value.
  3. When can you use the word “depraved?” You can use depraved to describe someone or something with ill or loose morals. However, you can also use it to describe perverse behavior.

What is the Meaning of Depraved?

Depraved means perverse behavior or lacking moral decency. Use this word to describe something evil or someone showing a bad character.

Here are a few sentence examples:

  • The depraved animal has been sneaking into compounds and stealing food.
  • The depraved criminal was arrested while trying to sneak into an elementary school with a gun.
  • Samuel has displayed a depraved character since leaving the boarding school in Georgia.

Synonyms for Depraved

Synonyms are words with the same or similar meanings and can be used in the same context. Some synonyms can even be used to define a word. A word with many meanings may have several synonyms for each meaning. This means that some synonyms only apply to a specific meaning. Since depraved does not have diverse meanings, most of its synonyms are similar and applicable in the same contexts. Here are a few synonyms for depraved.

  • Corrupt
  • Perverted
  • Degenerate
  • Dissolute
  • Immoral
  • Vicious
  • Vile
  • Abandoned
  • Lewd
  • Debauched
  • Debased
  • Wicked
  • Reprobate
  • Sick
  • Decadent
  • Brutal
  • Immoral
  • Vitiated
  • Wayward
  • Loose
  • Monstrous
  • Evil
  • Dreadful
  • Villainous
  • Despicable
  • Corrupted
  • Deteriorated

Antonyms for Depraved

Antonyms are words with opposite meanings. Learning the antonyms of new words is essential for vocabulary development and language command. Below are the common antonyms for depraved.

  • Righteous
  • Good
  • Moral
  • Virtuous
  • Blameless
  • Just
  • Upright
  • Sinless
  • Upstanding
  • Ethical
  • Creditable
  • Decent
  • Uncorrupted
  • Humane
  • Good
  • Gentle
  • Innocent
  • Moral
  • Nice
  • Pleasing
  • Reasonable
  • Empathetic
  • Warm
  • Tender
  • Kind
  • Tenderhearted

Rhymes for Depraved

Rhyming is an excellent approach for promoting language comprehension. Therefore, when learning new words, you may also benefit from studying words that sound similar to the new term. Below are some of the words that rhyme with depraved;

  • Engraved
  • Behaved
  • Enslaved
  • Braved
  • Paved
  • Shaved
  • Craved
  • Enclaved
  • Misbehaved
  • Raved
  • Concaved
  • Graved
  • Waived
  • Caved
  • Laved
  • Unsaved
  • Unshaved
  • Microwaved

How to Use Depraved in a Sentence

Use depraved in a sentence to describe someone’s behavior or character as an adjective. However, there are other word forms of “depraved” that you can use in sentences.

Here is a list of word forms of depraved and what they represent for easier application in your various contexts.

  • The present participle of depraved is depraving
  • Depraved is the past participle for deprave
  • The present tense of depraved is deprave
  • The third-person singular simple present indicative form of depraved is depraves
  • The adverbs for depraved are depravingly and depravedly.
  • The nouns for depraved are depravation, depravity, depravedness, depravement, depraver, depravations, depravements, depravities, and depravers.

depraved example corrupt

10 Examples of Depraved in a Sentence

You can confidently construct sentences using the word “depraved” with the above information. Here are ten sentence examples of depraved;

  1. His family’s wealth and influence have helped him get away with his depraved behaviors.
  2. James has quit his depraved behaviors because of the family’s influence.
  3. The police in New York deal with depraved homeless men and protestors daily.
  4. Talking to a depraved person about morals is a total waste of time.
  5. Sasha is the most depraved of the Whitson kids, but her parents will not admit it.
  6. The depraved animal attacked our pets and fed on their remains, leaving our village in despair.
  7. The San Francisco Women’s Prison is known for housing the most depraved female inmates.
  8. The judge quit her job because she was mentally exhausted from listening to the depraved cases.
  9. Working with the depraved Simpson twins had a toll on my mental health.
  10. After weeks of protests from angry citizens, the depraved officers were arrested and stripped of their powers.

How Do You Spell Depraved?

The correct spelling for this word is “D.E.P.R.A.V.E.D.”

Do not mistake the spelling of depraved with “deprived.” Note that these two words are entirely different and do not share the same meaning; you ought to be careful how you spell it.

How Do You Pronounce Depraved?

The correct pronunciation for depraved is “/di-pravd/.” However, you can still pronounce the word as “dih – preyvd,” while elongating the second syllable.

How Many Syllables are in Depraved?

The word depraved has two syllables.

The two syllables in this word are “de – praved.” Since it has a few syllables, this word does not have a stressed syllable; this makes pronouncing it reasonably easy.

History & Etymology of Depraved

The word depraved stems from Old French “depraver,” meaning “to pervert or accuse.” The word is also directly linked to Latin “depravare,” meaning “to distort, disfigure, pervert, seduce, or corrupt.”

The prefix “de” is Latin for down, off, away, from among, down from, down to the bottom, and totally. On the other hand, the suffix “praved” comes from Latin “pravus,” meaning crooked.

When Was Depraved First Used?

The correct answer is in the late 14th century.

During the 14th century, many poets and writers used this word to describe characters in their writings. However, the term became popular among the general English population in the 1560s. Around the same time, people started using its other word forms, like depravity.

Conclusion

Depraved is a word used to describe people, animals, or items lacking moral decency, corrupt, evil, or lacking good character. It is a relatively negative adjective that describes nouns and pronouns. More so, there are many forms of the word “depraved” that you can use in different parts of speech.

For instance, the noun for depraved is depravity. Understanding the various word forms will help you master the words in different contexts when forming sentences. Keep practicing to memorize this new word and its applications; forming sentences with the word “depraved” will enhance your understanding.