debauchery; dissipation; lewdness
Formal or literary term for excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures, often with a negative moral connotation. Used as a noun or adjectival noun.
His debauched lifestyle finally led to his ruin.
The novel depicts the dissipation of aristocratic society.
Standard kanji spelling for this formal/literary term.
Kana spelling may be used for clarity or in less formal contexts, though the word itself remains literary.
Compound of 淫 (いん, 'lewd, excessive') and 蕩 (とう, 'melt, be charmed, dissipated'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the combination conveys the idea of being morally melted or led astray by sensual pleasures.