noun
decadence
DEK-uh-duns/ˈdekədəns/
Excessive luxury or self-indulgence seen as a sign of moral or cultural decline.
Critics see the ruler's lavish banquets as a sign of decadence.
Etymology
The pieces give an image of falling down, extended to falling away from a better or more vital condition. In the selected sense, excessive luxury is viewed as a sign of that decline.
In context
we all have the luxury and the decadence to think about stupid nonsense like the Justin Amash presidential campaign
More examples
- The novel portrays an idle aristocracy sinking into decadence.
- Public anger grows as palace decadence contrasts with widespread hunger.
- She condemns the club's endless champagne parties as decadence.
Forms
decadence
decadent adjective — Excessively luxurious or indulgent, suggesting moral decline.
Similar words
- dissipation
- Emphasizes wasteful pleasure-seeking rather than broader cultural or moral decline.
- self-indulgence
- Focuses on satisfying personal desires, without necessarily implying cultural decline.