debauch

/dɪˈbɔtʃ/

Other forms: debauched; debauches; debauching

Debauch means to destroy or corrupt someone's morals. Overnight fame and wealth might debauch a previously mild-mannered and altruistic actor. As a noun, debauch refers to a wild party characterized by excess.

The old-fashioned meaning of debauch involved antiquated ideas about virtue and the idea that a person's "moral purity" could be corrupted. Today this word is mostly used when a person's integrity or principles are corrupted, often under the influence of money or power. You might say that artists debauch themselves when their designs show up on mass produced T-shirts. As a noun, debauch refers to an out-of-control party — in other words, a gathering at which one's morals might be corrupted.

Definitions of debauch

1. noun

   a wild gathering
   synonyms: bacchanal, bacchanalia, debauchery, drunken revelry, riot, saturnalia

   type of:

   revel, revelry

   unrestrained merrymaking
2. verb

   corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality
   synonyms: corrupt, debase, demoralise, demoralize, deprave, misdirect, pervert, profane, subvert, vitiate

   types:

   carnalise, carnalize, sensualise, sensualize

   debase through carnal gratification

   infect

   corrupt with ideas or an ideology

   lead astray, lead off

   teach immoral behavior to

   poison

   spoil as if by poison

   bastardise, bastardize

   change something so that its value declines; for example, art forms

   suborn

   incite to commit a crime or an evil deed

   type of:

   alter, change, modify

   cause to change; make different; cause a transformation