背 徳(はいとく)

はいとく

noun

immorality; corruption; depravity

formalwrittenliterary

1. immorality, corruption, moral transgression

The act of going against moral principles or ethics. Implies a willful turning away from accepted moral standards. Often carries a literary or dramatic tone, and can suggest a forbidden allure or the thrill of transgression.

背徳(はいとく)的(てき)な行為(こうい)だと非難(ひなん)された。

It was condemned as an immoral act.

その小説(しょうせつ)は背徳(はいとく)の匂(にお)いがする危(あぶ)ない魅力(みりょく)を持(も)っている。

That novel has a dangerous charm that smells of immorality.

禁(きん)じられた恋(こい)に背徳(はいとく)感(かん)を覚(おぼ)えながらも、二人(ふたり)は惹(ひ)かれ合(あ)っていた。

While feeling a sense of moral transgression over their forbidden love, the two were drawn to each other.

Usage

A literary and formal term. Often used with 的(てき) to form the na-adjective 背徳(はいとく)的(てき) (immoral). Frequently appears in literature, film criticism, and discussions of taboo topics. Carries a more dramatic, almost aesthetic nuance compared to the plain 不道徳(ふどうとく) (immoral), sometimes suggesting a seductive quality to the transgression.

Etymology

背(はい) (to turn one's back on) + 徳(とく) (virtue, morality). Literally "turning one's back on virtue."

Common collocations

背徳(はいとく)的(てき): immoral, morally corrupt
背徳(はいとく)感(かん): sense of moral transgression
背徳(はいとく)の味(あじ): the taste of forbidden pleasure

general

Added 2026.2.28 8:11 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01

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