Word of the Day Rant: Decadent
Have you ever looked up the word Decadent in the Dictionary? I've looked it up a few times and am continually surprised by the definition. Here's what we get from Merriam-Webster on Decadent.
Definition of Decadent
- marked by decay or decline
- of, relating to, or having the characteristics of the decadents
- characterized by or appealing to self-indulgence
Now, I realize this is rather rigid of me, but if you read through those definitions, which one sounds most like how we use the word Decadent in daily life? Certainly it isn't options 1 or 2. Look at the example sentences Merriam-Webster gives:
Examples of Decadent:
- The book condemns some of society's wealthiest members as decadent fools.
- a wealthy and decadent lifestyle
- a decadent hotel room, complete with a hot tub
- We relaxed in decadent luxury.
They give 4 examples, none of which touches on definitions 1 or 2. How often, when you look up a word in the dictionary, (if you look words up in the dictionary) do you look beyond the 1st definition or 2? I seldom get to number 3. So perhaps Decadent definition 1 was used more in the past, but at some point I think we need to update our order to match usage. If we can add idiotic words like BFF or bromance then surely we can update the ranked order of definitions for words that actually have a strong pedigree.
Coming Next: Lackadaisical