Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

decadence

/ˈdɛkədəns/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.86 in modern English

Syllables
deca-dence
IPA
/ˈdɛkədəns/
15
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration; decay

Countable; Uncountable

noun

The quality of being luxuriously self-indulgent.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

From French décadence, from Medieval Latin decadentia (“decay”), from *decadens (“decaying”), present participle of *decadere (“to decay”); see decay.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *ḱh₂d-, décadence, decadentia

Regional Pronunciation

  • British English: /ˈdɛkədəns/

Usage

Inflected Forms

decadences (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

decadent deciduous

Synonyms

degeneracy degeneration decadency

Questions

How do you pronounce decadence?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈdɛkədəns/.
What does decadence mean?
A state of moral or artistic decline or deterioration; decay
Where does decadence come from?
It is traced to French.

How to pronounce decadence

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “decadence”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈdɛkədəns/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “decadence”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “decadence” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.