Standard Lemma guide

turpitude

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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈtɜː(ɹ)pɪtjuːd/
  • US: /ˈtɜɹpətuːd/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: T ER1 P IH0 T UW2 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Inherent baseness, depravity or wickedness; corruptness and evilness.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: degeneracy, perversion, wickedness, baseness, corruption, defilement, degradation, depravation, depravedness, depravity, impurity, iniquity, lewdity, malignity, misdoing, misguilt, obliquity, peccability, pollution, pravity, sin, sinfulness, turpitude, vitiation, wrongdoing

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An act evident of such depravity.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: depravity, outrage, wickedness, atrocity, infamy, iniquity, turpitude, wrong

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a corrupt or depraved or degenerate act or practice

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the various turpitudes of modern society

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: depravity

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: transgression, evildoing

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French turpitude, from Latin turpitūdō (“baseness, infamy”), from turpis (“foul, base”).

Across languages

Translations

9 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: низост (nizost) — inherent baseness, depravity or wickedness; corruptness and evilness
  • Bulgarian: подлост (podlost) — inherent baseness, depravity or wickedness; corruptness and evilness
  • French: turpitude — inherent baseness, depravity or wickedness; corruptness and evilness
  • German: Verderbtheit — inherent baseness, depravity or wickedness; corruptness and evilness
  • German: Schändlichkeit — inherent baseness, depravity or wickedness; corruptness and evilness
  • German: Verworfenheit — inherent baseness, depravity or wickedness; corruptness and evilness
  • Russian: ни́зость (nízostʹ) — inherent baseness, depravity or wickedness; corruptness and evilness
  • Russian: развращённость (razvraščónnostʹ) — inherent baseness, depravity or wickedness; corruptness and evilness
  • French: turpitude — act evident of such a depravity