Meanings
comparative more decadent · superlative most decadent · alternative décadent
- Characterized by moral or cultural decline.
As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action: you liberate a city by destroying it. Words are to confuse, so that at election time people will solemnly vote against their own interests.
1992, Gore Vidal, The Decline and Fall of the American EmpireSynonyms: corrupted, degenerate, aberrant, corrupt, corrupted, depraved, lost, dirty-handed
- Luxuriously self-indulgent.
2003, Hedonismbot in the Futurama episode "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings" Surgery in an opera? How wonderfully decadent! And just as I was beginning to lose interest!
Synonyms: epicurean, sinful, Babylonian, epicureal, epicurean, epicureous, epicurish, hedonic
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveCharacterized by moral or cultural decline.
adjectiveLuxuriously self-indulgent.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveluxuriously self-indulgent
adjectivemarked by excessive self-indulgence and moral decay
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latindē-
- Late Latindēcadēns
- Medieval Latindēcadentia
- Frenchdécadent
- Englishdecadent
From French décadent, a back-formation from décadence (see -ent), from Medieval Latin dēcadentia, from Late Latin dēcadēns, present participle of dēcadō, dēcidō (“sink, fall; perish”), from Latin dē- + cadō (“fall”).
More words from French, Medieval Latin, Late Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian упадъчен, декадент
- упадъчен (upadăčen)characterized by moral or cultural decline
- декадент (dekadent)person affected by moral decay
Catalan decadent
- decadentcharacterized by moral or cultural decline
Chinese Mandarin 腐朽, 糜爛 /糜烂
- 腐朽 (fǔxiǔ)characterized by moral or cultural decline
- 糜爛 /糜烂 (mílàn)characterized by moral or cultural decline
- 頹廢 /颓废 (tuífèi)characterized by moral or cultural decline
Czech dekadentní
- dekadentnícharacterized by moral or cultural decline
Finnish rappeutunut, turmeltunut
- rappeutunutcharacterized by moral or cultural decline
- turmeltunutcharacterized by moral or cultural decline
- dekadentticharacterized by moral or cultural decline
French décadent, décadent
- décadentcharacterized by moral or cultural decline
- décadentperson affected by moral decay
- décadenteperson affected by moral decay
German dekadent, dekadent
- dekadentcharacterized by moral or cultural decline
- dekadentluxuriously self-indulgent
Hindi पतनोन्मुख, ह्रासोन्मुख
- पतनोन्मुख (patnonmukh)characterized by moral or cultural decline
- ह्रासोन्मुख (hrāsonmukh)characterized by moral or cultural decline
- अपकर्षी (apkarṣī)characterized by moral or cultural decline
- पतनोमुख (patnomukh)characterized by moral or cultural decline
- पतित (patit)person affected by moral decay
Hungarian dekadens
- dekadenscharacterized by moral or cultural decline
Icelandic hnignandi, hrörnandi
- hnignandicharacterized by moral or cultural decline
- hrörnandicharacterized by moral or cultural decline
- spillturcharacterized by moral or cultural decline
- úrkynjaðurcharacterized by moral or cultural decline
Indonesian dekaden
- dekadencharacterized by moral or cultural decline
Irish meatach, peacúil
- meatachcharacterized by moral or cultural decline
- peacúilluxuriously self-indulgent
Italian decadente, decadentista
- decadentecharacterized by moral or cultural decline
- decadentistaperson affected by moral decay
Korean 흥청망청
- 흥청망청 (heungcheongmangcheong)luxuriously self-indulgent
Polish dekadencki
- dekadenckicharacterized by moral or cultural decline
Romanian decadent
- decadentcharacterized by moral or cultural decline
Russian упа́дочный, упа́дочнический
- упа́дочный (upádočnyj)characterized by moral or cultural decline
- упа́дочнический (upádočničeskij)characterized by moral or cultural decline
- декаде́нтский (dekadéntskij)characterized by moral or cultural decline
- декаде́нт (dekadént)person affected by moral decay
- декаде́нтка (dekadéntka)person affected by moral decay
Spanish decadente, inmoderado
- decadentecharacterized by moral or cultural decline
- inmoderadoluxuriously self-indulgent
- viciosoluxuriously self-indulgent
Tagalog namumulok
- namumulokcharacterized by moral or cultural decline
Thai เสื่อมโทรม, คนเสื่อม
- เสื่อมโทรม (sʉ̀ʉam-soom)characterized by moral or cultural decline
- คนเสื่อม (kon-sʉ̀ʉam)person affected by moral decay
Cite this entry
decadent. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/decadent
“decadent.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/decadent. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “decadent,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/decadent.
Source: decadent on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.