decadent
Morally in decline
Decadent describes something characterized by excessive indulgence, luxury, or moral decline.
A decadent dessert is sinfully rich; a decadent society has abandoned the virtues that once made it strong.
The word carries a whiff of disapproval but also a guilty pleasure—calling something decadent often means you're about to enjoy it anyway.
The chocolate cake was absolutely decadent.
As a noun, a decadent is someone who embraces such excess, or a member of the late 19th-century artistic movement that prized aesthetic pleasure over moral convention.
Ostentatiously wealthy
- lavishAbundant beyond necessity
- sumptuousSplendidly rich and costly
- plushThick-pile soft fabric
- extravagantExceeding sensible bounds
palatial · gilded · ornate · silk · velvet · champagne · caviar · splendor
Excessively elaborate in style
- baroqueExcessively ornate or elaborate
- ornateElaborately decorated
- fin-de-siècleCentury's closing period
- WildeAnglo-Irish family name
bohemian · aesthete · Art Nouveau · gilded · overwrought · florid · elaborate · theatrical
Sweet from cacao seeds
- dessertSweet course after dinner
- richHaving much of something
- trufflePrized subterranean edible
- ganacheChocolate-cream confection blend
mousse · torte · fudge · buttercream · velvet · sinful · guilty · pleasure
Corrupt payment for influence
- graftIllicit political gain
- venalOpen to bribes
- malfeasanceUnlawful act by officeholder
- sleazeTawdry moral quality
nepotism · embezzlement · fraudulent · unethical · dishonesty · kickback · underhanded · shady
opulent
Ostentatiously wealthy
extravagant · palatial · gilded · ornate · silk · velvet · champagne · caviar · splendor · grandeur
rococo
Excessively elaborate in style
- baroqueExcessively ornate or elaborate
- ornateElaborately decorated
- fin-de-siècleCentury's closing period
Wilde · bohemian · aesthete · Art Nouveau · gilded · overwrought · florid · elaborate · theatrical · romantic
chocolate
Sweet from cacao seeds
ganache · mousse · torte · fudge · buttercream · velvet · sinful · guilty · pleasure · treat
bribery
Corrupt payment for influence
- graftIllicit political gain
- venalOpen to bribes
- malfeasanceUnlawful act by officeholder
sleaze · nepotism · embezzlement · fraudulent · unethical · dishonesty · kickback · underhanded · shady · exploitation
deterioration
Process of declining quality
erosion · degeneration · wither · atrophy · fading · twilight · downfall · collapse · demise · dissolution
- dessert qualitiessweet, creamy, rich, indulgent, sugary
- food adjectivesdelicious, tasty, yummy, scrumptious, savory
- indulgenceindulgence, indulge, indulgent, self-indulgent, overindulgence
- luxuryluxury, wealth, luxurious, opulent, opulence
- Maximalismexcess, abundance, over the top, extravagant, opulent
- pleasure seekershedonist, hedonists, pleasure seeker, pleasure seekers, pleasure-seeker
decadentvirtuous
Morally excellent, principled
moral · righteous · principled · ethical · upright
decadentascetic
One who renounces indulgence
austere · spartan · abstinent · self-denying · abstemious
- once a decade
- Roman decadenceAncient empire's corrupt luxury
- decade longLasting ten years
decade, decades, decadence, decadently, decadences, decadents