decadent

1 of 2

adjective

dec·a·dent ˈde-kə-dənt

also di-ˈkā-

Synonyms of decadent next

: characterized by or appealing to self-indulgence

a rich and decadent dessert

the hotel's decadent luxury

: marked by decay or decline

an increasingly decadent society

literature : of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a group of late 19th century French and English writers tending toward artificial and unconventional subjects and subtilized style : of, relating to, or having the characteristics of the decadents (see decadent entry 2 sense 1)

decadently adverb

decadent

2 of 2

noun

literature : one of a group of late 19th century French and English writers tending toward artificial and unconventional subjects and subtilized style

: one that is marked by decay or decline : one that is decadent (see decadent entry 1 sense 2)

Did you know?

To be decadent is to be in the process of decay, so a powerful nation may be said to be in a decadent stage if its power is fading. But the word is more often used to speak of moral decay. Ever since the Roman empire, we've tended to link Rome's fall to the moral decay of its ruling class, who indulged in extreme luxuries and unwholesome pleasures while providing the public with cruel spectacles such as the slaughter of the gladiators. But not everyone agrees on what moral decadence looks like (or even how it might have hastened the fall of Rome), though most people think it involves too many sensual pleasures—as, for instance, among the French and English poets and artists of the 1880s and ʼ90s called the Decadents. These days, for some reason, people have decided decadent is the way to describe rich chocolate cakes.

Examples of decadent in a Sentence

Adjective The book condemns some of society's wealthiest members as decadent fools. a wealthy and decadent lifestyle a decadent hotel room, complete with a hot tub We relaxed in decadent luxury. Noun avant-garde artists who were scorned by the bourgeoisie as talentless decadents a decadent who squandered her once considerable family fortune

Recent Examples on the Web

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Adjective

This recipe takes a simple pumpkin cake and turns it into a wonderfully decadent dessert with a creamy, spiced filling and whipped topping with caramel, toffee bars, and nuts. —

Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 16 Dec. 2024 Indulge in twenty-four gourmet biscotti bedecked with six decadent flavors. —

Nora Colomer, Fox News, 13 Dec. 2024

Noun

The first was the rigidities of fascism, which divided the world into the vital and the decadent, the essential and the discardable, the us and the them. —

Thomas Meaney, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024 This cake is rich, moist, and decadent, with a generous dose of Southern bourbon in the mix. —

Krissy Tiglias, Southern Living, 28 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for decadent