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debauchery

UK/dɪˈbɔː.t͡ʃə.ɹi/US/dɪˈbɔ.t͡ʃə.ɹi/
nounC1Occasional — familiar, but not everyday · #10,864 of 15,258neutral

Other forms: debaucheries

Debauchery is excessive indulgence in drink and pleasure. A life of debauchery, nights of debauchery, sink into debauchery.

It is an old and moralising word, and it is now used far more in jest than in earnest — calling a mild evening out debauchery is the commonest use. The verb behind debauchery first meant to lead somebody away from their duty.

S. Bollmann · Attribution

Definitions of debauchery

  1. 1noundebaucheryExcessive indulgence in drink and pleasure.C1

    “The rock band's tour was famous for its wild parties and debauchery.”

debauchery is an indulgence.

Where it comes from

From debauch, from French debaucher, to lead away from work or duty.

From debauch + -ery. From debauch + ery. First use appears c. 1642.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in A Song of Ice and Fire

Practise this word

debauchery in the wild

  • Gwar's angle on the album is that of a morbid punk band (a la the Mentors, the Misfits, Butthole Surfers) obsessed with debauchery, violence and toilet humor.

    Hell-O

  • The film follows two brothers, Cooper (Klein) and Ed Waxman (Fehr), who participate in a weekend of debauchery.

    The Long Weekend

  • The release of Sex, with its provocative title and explicit scenes of seduction and debauchery, made it the subject of controversy among censors and commentators.

    Sex (1920 film)

  • The Congolese penal code punishes pimping, running a bawdy house or brothel, the exploitation of debauchery or prostitution, as well as forced prostitution.

    Prostitution in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

  • Steen, who ran a tavern himself, would be well acquainted with such debauchery.

    Wine is a Mocker

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.