Degenerati

Degenerati is a term used in Latin and in several European languages, notably Italian, to refer to individuals perceived as morally or biologically degenerate. The word comes from degeneratus, meaning degenerated. In historical texts it functioned as a label rather than a precise diagnosis and was applied across a range of conditions or characteristics that were deemed undesirable by prevailing norms.

From the 19th into the early 20th century, concepts of degeneration influenced medicine, law, and public policy. The label degenerati was used for groups considered socially deviant or inferior on the basis of mental or physical conditions, behavior, or birth characteristics. In some contexts it intersected with eugenics and racial hygiene ideologies, where degenerate groups were subjected to coercive measures, segregation, or sterilization in certain regimes.

In modern discourse, the term is criticized as insulting and scientifically unfounded. Contemporary language favors precise clinical diagnoses and a commitment to human rights and dignity. The word survives mainly in historical sources, translations of older works, or discussions about the history of medicine and ideology rather than as a neutral descriptor.

Because it carries pejorative connotations, degenerati terminology is typically treated as a relic of past prejudices rather than a valid classificatory category in current professional or academic usage.