Legal Definitions - turpitude

Turpitude (tər-pə-t(y)ood) refers to conduct that is contrary to justice, honesty, or morality. It is an act of baseness, vileness, or depravity in the private and social duties which one person owes to another, or to society in general, contrary to the accepted and customary rule of right and duty between people.

Moral turpitude is a term used in legal ethics and military law. It refers to conduct that is so extreme a departure from ordinary standards of honest, good morals, justice, or ethics as to be shocking to the moral sense of the community. Examples of offenses involving moral turpitude include fraud, breach of trust, and other acts of shameful wickedness or moral depravity.

• A lawyer who embezzles money from their client's trust account has committed an offense involving moral turpitude and may be disbarred.
• A soldier who is convicted of a serious crime, such as rape or murder, may be dishonorably discharged from the military for conduct involving moral turpitude.

These examples illustrate how conduct that is contrary to justice, honesty, or morality can have serious consequences in both the legal and military contexts. Such conduct is considered to be a violation of the accepted and customary rule of right and duty between people, and is therefore deemed to be morally depraved and unacceptable.