decadente

decadent

adjective deh-kah-DEN-teh Rare

Origin: from Latin decadere (to fall away)

Also means

declining

Usage Note

Decadente describes both moral/social decline and the late 19th-century literary movement (il Decadentismo) associated with D'Annunzio and Pascoli. In everyday speech it can be used almost approvingly for something luxuriously indulgent — un dolce decadente (a sinfully rich dessert).

Examples

"La poesia decadente esaltava il bello artificiale."

Natural Translation

Decadent poetry exalted artificial beauty.

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