orgy

orgy — noun

1. a gathering in which several people act with little control, often involving sex

1.nounC1
Definition

a gathering in which several people act with little control, often involving sex, heavy drinking, or illegal drugs

Example

Police broke up an orgy in a rented beach house.

police break up an orgy

By dawn, the party had turned into an orgy upstairs.

party turn into an orgy

Common collocations
  • sexual orgy
  • drunken orgy
  • take part in an orgy
  • break up an orgy
Synonyms
  • sex party

    a plainer term that focuses on the sexual side more directly

  • debauch

    more formal or literary, often with a stronger moral judgment

  • revelry

    stresses noisy drinking and celebration, not necessarily sex

  • binge

    usually focuses on consuming too much of something rather than on a group gathering

Antonyms
  • restraint

    suggests controlled behaviour rather than extreme indulgence

Grammar Patterns

take part in an orgy

an orgy involving sex and drugs

break up an orgy

Usage Note

Usually countable. Often appears in crime reports, gossip, or historical writing, and it may be modified by words like sexual or drunken. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense names a real gathering, not a figurative burst of activity.

Common Mistakes

The office had an orgy to celebrate the new contract.
The office had a party to celebrate the new contract.
Orgy is a very strong word for extreme, uncontrolled behaviour, often sexual, not an ordinary celebration.

2. a short period of doing something far too much, usually in a harmful or uncontro

2.nounC2
Definition

a short period of doing something far too much, usually in a harmful or uncontrolled way

Example

The town went on a building orgy after the new highway opened.

noun before orgy: building orgy

After winning the lottery, Ben had a shopping orgy downtown.

shopping orgy

Common collocations
  • building orgy
  • shopping orgy
  • spending orgy
  • orgy of blame
Synonyms
  • spree

    an everyday word for doing a lot of something in a short time, often shopping or spending

  • binge

    often focuses on too much eating, drinking, or watching rather than any activity

  • frenzy

    stresses excitement and loss of calm more than repeated overdoing

  • splurge

    usually means spending a lot of money, so it is narrower

Antonyms
  • moderation

    suggests keeping an activity within reasonable limits

  • restraint

    stresses self-control instead of excess

Grammar Patterns

a spending orgy

a building orgy

an orgy of blame

Usage Note

Usually appears in the pattern an orgy of + noun or with a noun before orgy, such as spending orgy. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is figurative and does not describe a literal party or sexual event.

Common Mistakes

There was an orgy of rain all week.
There was a lot of rain all week.
This figurative sense is mainly used for human actions such as spending, blaming, or building, not for weather.

Word family

  • orgiastic
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Orgy is a strong word for a gathering marked by uncontrolled sexual activity, heavy drinking, or drug use. Sex party is plainer and usually points more directly to the sexual side. Debauch is more formal or literary, and it often carries a stronger moral judgment from the writer. Revelry stresses noisy celebration and drinking, but it does not necessarily suggest sex. Binge is different again: it usually focuses on consuming too much alcohol, food, or media, not on a group event. Use orgy when the scene feels extreme and out of control. A news report might mention an orgy in a hotel room, while everyday speech may simply say the guests were drunk and behaving wildly.

orgy ↗sex partydebauchrevelry ↗binge

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

Orgy came into English through French and Latin from Greek orgia, a plural word for secret religious rites with excited singing, dancing, and strong emotion. In later English, the word moved away from that religious meaning and came to describe uncontrolled pleasure, especially sexual activity or other forms of excess.