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débauche

debauchery, excess

noun deh-BOSH Rare
People & Society Values

Usage Note

Débauche describes wild excess — moral, sensory, or physical indulgence taken to an extreme. It is used both literally (orgies, drunken revelry) and ironically (une débauche de couleurs means a riot of colours). The verb débaucher can mean both 'to corrupt/debauch' and, in a labour context, to lay off workers or poach them from another employer.

Examples

"Cette soirée était une vraie débauche."

Natural Translation

That evening was a real debauchery.

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