Crossword Genius

Corrupt villain beginning to ebb into depression (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

decadent

'corrupt' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'villain beginning to ebb into depression' is the wordplay.
'villain' becomes 'cad' (cad can mean a nasty person).
'beginning to' says to take the initial letters.
'into' is an insertion indicator.
'depression' becomes 'dent' (dent is a kind of depression).
The first letter of 'ebb' is 'e'.
'cad'+'e'='cade'
'cade' going inside 'dent' is 'DECADENT'.

(Other definitions for decadent that I've seen before include "base?" , "Marked by excessive self-indulgence and moral decay" , "Luxuriously self-indulgent" , "Decanted in corrupt way" , "Morally corrupt" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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