immoral

immoral
   associated with prostitution
   Literally, contrary to virtue, but confined to sexual misbehaviour in various legal jargon phrases. Thus immoral earnings, which it is a crime for a pimp to live on, are what a prostitute gets paid:
    It would mean my arrest on a charge of living on immoral earnings. (Theroux, 1973)
   Immoral girls are prostitutes:
    Though they'd twice given him the boat fare home he had spent it on drink and probably on immoral girls. (Bradbury, 1976)
   An immoral house was a brothel:
    The dress-lodger probably lives some distance from the immoral house. (Mayhew, 1862)
   A building used for immoral purposes is either a brothel or another place where a prostitute takes her customers:
    ... full of brothels, almost every house being used for an immoral purpose, (ibid.)
   The American Mann Act, known as the Immorality Act, makes it unlawful to transport a female across a state line with intent to 'induce, entice or compel her to give herself up to the practice of prostitution, or to give herself up to debauchery or any other immoral purpose'.

How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms. . 2014.

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  • immoral — immoral, ale, aux [ i(m)mɔral, o ] adj. • v. 1660; de 1. in et moral ♦ (Personnes) Qui viole les principes de la morale établie. Homme foncièrement immoral. ⇒ corrompu, débauché, dépravé; amoral. ♢ (Choses) Contraire à la morale, aux bonnes mœurs …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • immoral — immoral, unmoral, nonmoral, amoral are all briefly definable as not moral, yet they are not often interchangeable and are frequently confused, largely because the implications and connotations of the second element are not the same in each… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • immoral — I adjective amoral, arrant, bad, base, conscienceless, corrupt, criminal, debauched, degenerate, depraved, dishonest, dishonorable, disreputable, dissipated, dissolute, evil, exploitative, false, flagitious, graceless, heinous, ignoble,… …   Law dictionary

  • immoral — immoral, amoral Both words are applied to people, to people s actions, and to standards of behaviour. Immoral means ‘morally wrong, wicked’, whereas amoral means ‘having no morals’, i.e. ‘outside the scope of morality’ and is strictly neutral in… …   Modern English usage

  • Immoral — Im*mor al, a. [Pref. im not + moral: cf. F. immoral.] Not moral; inconsistent with rectitude, purity, or good morals; contrary to conscience or the divine law; wicked; unjust; dishonest; vicious; licentious; as, an immoral man; an immoral deed.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • immoral — immoral, ale (i mmo ral, ra l ) adj. Qui est sans principe de morale, sans moeurs. Caractère immoral. •   Entassez des monceaux d or sur des monceaux d or; et soyez heureux, si l homme immoral peut l être, RAYNAL Hist. phil. XIX, 6.    En parlant …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • immoral — (adj.) 1650s, from assimilated form of IN (Cf. in ) (1) not + MORAL (Cf. moral) (adj.). Related: Immorally …   Etymology dictionary

  • immoral — [adj] evil, degenerate abandoned, bad, corrupt, debauched, depraved, dishonest, dissipated, dissolute, fast*, graceless, impure, indecent, iniquitous, lewd, licentious, loose*, nefarious, obscene, of easy virtue*, pornographic, profligate, rakish …   New thesaurus

  • immoral — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ not conforming to accepted standards of morality. DERIVATIVES immorality noun (pl. immoralities) immorally adverb …   English terms dictionary

  • immoral — [i môr′əl] adj. [< IN 2 + MORAL] 1. not in conformity with accepted principles of right and wrong behavior 2. wicked 3. not in conformity with the accepted standards of proper sexual behavior; unchaste; lewd immorally adv …   English World dictionary

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