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.
背徳的な行為だと非難された。
It was condemned as an immoral act.
その小説は背徳の匂いがする危ない魅力を持っている。
That novel has a dangerous charm that smells of immorality.
禁じられた恋に背徳感を覚えながらも、二人は惹かれ合っていた。
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 to form the na-adjective 背徳的 (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 (immoral), sometimes suggesting a seductive quality to the transgression.
ETYMOLOGY:
背 (to turn one's back on) + 徳 (virtue, morality). Literally "turning one's back on virtue."
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 背徳的: immoral, morally corrupt
- 背徳感: sense of moral transgression
- 背徳の味: the taste of forbidden pleasure