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Degradation vs Depravity - What's the difference?

degradation | depravity |

As nouns the difference between degradation and depravity

is that degradation is degradation while depravity is (uncountable) the state or condition of being depraved; moral debasement.

degradation

English

(wikipedia degradation)

Noun

(en noun)
  • The act of reducing in rank, character, or reputation, or of abasing; a lowering from one's standing or rank in office or society; diminution; as, the degradation of a peer, a knight, a general, or a bishop.
  • The state of being reduced in rank, character, or reputation; baseness; moral, physical, or intellectual degeneracy; disgrace; abasement; debasement.
  • Diminution or reduction of strength, efficacy, or value; degeneration; deterioration.
  • (geology) A gradual wearing down or wasting, as of rocks and banks, by the action of water, frost etc.
  • A deleterious change in the chemical structure, physical properties or appearance of a material from natural or artificial exposure.
  • The state or condition of a species or group which exhibits degraded forms; degeneration.
  • Arrest of development, or degeneration of any organ, or of the body as a whole.
  • The gradual breakdown of components of a material, as a result of a natural element, i.e.: heat, cold and wind.

    • Derived terms

    * biodegradation

    Related terms

    * decomposition

    depravity

    English

    Noun

    (depravities)
  • (uncountable) The state or condition of being depraved; moral debasement.
  • * 1850 , , White Jacket, or, The World on a Man-of-War , ch. 34,
    • Depravity in the oppressed is no apology for the oppressor.
  • (countable) A particular depraved act or trait.
  • * 1914 , , The Subterranean Brotherhood , ch. 16,
    • There were men there who had committed merciless robberies, cruel murders, heartless swindles, abominable depravities .
  • (uncountable, Christian theology) Inborn corruption, entailing the belief that every facet of human nature has been polluted, defiled, and contaminated by sin.
  • * 1850 , ,The Scarlet Letter , ch. 8,
    • Here is a child of three years old, and she cannot tell who made her! Without question, she is equally in the dark as to her soul, its present depravity , and future destiny!

    Synonyms

    * wickedness

    Related terms

    * depravation * depravedness

    References

    * * * * * " depravity" in the Wordsmyth Dictionary-Thesaurus (Wordsmyth, 2002) * " depravity" in Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary (Cambridge University Press, 2007) * Oxford English Dictionary , second edition (1989) * Random House Webster's Unabridged Electronic Dictionary (1987-1996)