noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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UK:/ˈdɛkədəns/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:D EH1 K AH0 D AH0 N S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration; decay
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
The quality of being luxuriously self-indulgent.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
the decadence of a five-star hotel
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
the state of being degenerate in mental or moral qualities
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: degeneracy, degeneration, decadency
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: abasement, degradation, abjection
History
Etymology
From French décadence, from Medieval Latin decadentia (“decay”), from *decadens (“decaying”), present participle of *decadere (“to decay”); see decay.
Across languages
Translations
64 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
اضمحلال
(iḍmiḥlāl)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Armenian:
անկումայնություն
(ankumaynutʻyun)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Armenian:
անկում
(ankum)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Bulgarian:
упа́дък
(upádǎk)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Bulgarian:
декаде́нтство
(dekadéntstvo)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Catalan:
decadència
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Chinese Mandarin:
腐朽
(fǔxiǔ)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Chinese Mandarin:
墮落 /堕落
(duòluò)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Chinese Mandarin:
頹廢 /颓废
(tuífèi)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Cornish:
legryas
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Czech:
dekadence
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Czech:
úpadek
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Danish:
dekadence
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Danish:
forfald
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Esperanto:
dekadenco
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Finnish:
dekadenssi
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Finnish:
moraalinen mädännäisyys
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
French:
décadence
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
French:
décadentisme
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Georgian:
დაკნინება
(daḳnineba)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Georgian:
დაქვეითება
(dakveiteba)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Georgian:
დაცემა
(dacema)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Georgian:
დეკადენტობა
(deḳadenṭoba)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
German:
Dekadenz
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Greek:
κραιπάλη
(kraipáli)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Greek:
κατάπτωση
(katáptosi)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Hindi:
पतन
(patan)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Hindi:
ह्रास
(hrās)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Hindi:
ह्रासोन्मुखता
(hrāsonmukhtā)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Hindi:
क्षयिष्णुता
(kṣayiṣṇutā)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Hindi:
गिरावट
(girāvaṭ)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Hungarian:
hanyatlás
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Irish:
meath
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Italian:
decadenza
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Italian:
decadentismo
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Japanese:
デカダンス
(dekadansu)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Japanese:
退廃
(taihai)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Kazakh:
декаденттік
(dekadenttık)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Kazakh:
декадентшілдік
(dekadentşıldık)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Korean:
데카당스
(dekadangseu)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Korean:
퇴폐
(toepye)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Lithuanian:
núosmukis
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Macedonian:
пропа́ѓање
(propáǵanje)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Macedonian:
декаде́нција
(dekadéncija)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Norwegian Bokmål:
dekadanse
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Norwegian Nynorsk:
dekadanse
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Portuguese:
decadência
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Romanian:
decadență
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Russian:
декада́нс
(dɛkadáns)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Russian:
декаде́нтство
(dɛkadɛ́ntstvo)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Russian:
упа́дочничество
(upádočničestvo)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Russian:
упа́док
(upádok)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Russian:
упа́дничество
(upádničestvo)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Serbo-Croatian:
dekadencija
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Serbo-Croatian:
dekadansa
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Serbo-Croatian:
propadanje
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Slovene:
dekadenca
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Spanish:
decadencia
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Swedish:
dekadans
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Swedish:
förfall
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Thai:
ความเสื่อมโทรม
(kwaam-sʉ̀ʉam-soom)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Ukrainian:
декада́нс
(dekadáns)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Ukrainian:
декаде́нтство
(dekadéntstvo)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
Ukrainian:
занепа́дництво
(zanepádnyctvo)
— state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration
