decadent
/ˈdɛk.ə.dənt/ · de·cad·ent
adjective
- Characterized by moral or cultural decline; marked by a loss of standards or values. The novel was criticized for its decadent portrayal of society’s corruption.
- Luxuriously self‑indulgent, especially in food, drink, or pleasure. She enjoyed a decadent chocolate mousse that melted on her tongue.
noun
- A person who indulges in or promotes moral decline, especially in artistic or literary circles. The poet was considered a decadent, reveling in themes of decay and excess.
- A work of art or literature belonging to the Decadent movement of the late 19th century. His latest short story is a quintessential decadent, full of ornate language and morbid fascination.
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Did you know? The term "decadent" gave its name to the Decadent movement, a late‑19th‑century literary trend championed by writers like Charles Baudelaire and Oscar Wilde, who celebrated artifice and aesthetic excess.