as in to degrade
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
bastardize the art form by adapting it to popular taste
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bastardize
Over the years, though, the cocktail has become bastardized into a sugary drink containing all sorts of fruit juices and sweeteners, causing it to be denegrated alongside the likes of Long Island Ice Teas and Strawberry Daiquiris.
—
Tori Latham, Robb Report, 17 Apr. 2023
These white people in blackface entertained the masses with stereotypes of Blackness, bastardizing the Black identity in the process.
—Tayo Bero, refinery29.com, 4 Apr. 2023
Society, this week, also bastardized two wholesome childhood fixtures, SunnyD and Girl Scout Cookies.
—Li Goldstein, Bon Appétit, 10 Mar. 2023
Videos that bastardize neighborhood names, or cluelessly treat storied establishments like new discoveries.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2022
To bastardize the bands Pablo Cruise or Yes, love will always find a way.
—Outside Online, 13 Feb. 2021
What does a profession license mean if you’re allowed to bastardize the court system that way.
—Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press, 13 Dec. 2020
As a carcass decomposes, the bacteria in the body itself runs rampant, producing its signature stink and bastardizing the soil’s microbiome.
—Matt Simon, Wired, 21 Jan. 2020
The initial fear that the band was going to make a killing on wading-pool-deep music and basically bastardize country music was way off-base.
—Chuck Yarborough, cleveland, 8 Jan. 2020
Tori Latham, Robb Report, 17 Apr. 2023
These white people in blackface entertained the masses with stereotypes of Blackness, bastardizing the Black identity in the process.
—Tayo Bero, refinery29.com, 4 Apr. 2023
Society, this week, also bastardized two wholesome childhood fixtures, SunnyD and Girl Scout Cookies.
—Li Goldstein, Bon Appétit, 10 Mar. 2023
Videos that bastardize neighborhood names, or cluelessly treat storied establishments like new discoveries.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2022
To bastardize the bands Pablo Cruise or Yes, love will always find a way.
—Outside Online, 13 Feb. 2021
What does a profession license mean if you’re allowed to bastardize the court system that way.
—Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press, 13 Dec. 2020
As a carcass decomposes, the bacteria in the body itself runs rampant, producing its signature stink and bastardizing the soil’s microbiome.
—Matt Simon, Wired, 21 Jan. 2020
The initial fear that the band was going to make a killing on wading-pool-deep music and basically bastardize country music was way off-base.
—Chuck Yarborough, cleveland, 8 Jan. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bastardize
Verb
-
The combination of cold temperatures, low downforce, and low cornering speeds meant that the Pirelli tires didn't really degrade, helping out the teams that, unlike McLaren, don't look after their tires well when the situation is reversed.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
22 Sep. 2025
-
Just be sure not to add it to any hot liquids (so that cozy cup of coffee or matcha is a no-go), as heat can degrade the bioactive compounds.—
Jessie Quinn,
StyleCaster,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, said the plan outlined subverted Congress's power outlined in the Constitution, controlling how government money is spent, according to Reuters.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Omerzu and his team aren’t above deploying romantic backlighting for midnight kisses and some of the clichés of young-love cinema, but thankfully that’s only to subvert them as the film goes on.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Democrats and civil libertarians said Trump corrupted the system of justice by getting involved.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Of course, what that sets up, in the game of Survivor, is someone ready to be corrupted.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
However, the latter half of the season feels meandering, with overstuffed episodes diluting the impact of the plot.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Chaos is sorted into appreciable story arcs without diluting its overwhelming effect on our heroes.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
France had been humiliated in 1871 by Prussia in a foolish war of its own making, and Dreyfus, accused of passing military secrets to the Germans, was a convenient scapegoat in a time of national malaise.—
Ian Buruma,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
-
Leno later said he felt humiliated by Kimmel’s jibe.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
For decades, bartenders have been defaming the Mai Tai, debasing it, making and selling versions of the drink that were childish and incomplex, saccharine and flat.—
Jason O'Bryan,
Robb Report,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Unlike bonds, which promise repayment of the primary investment at a future date, warranting demands for higher yields to offset inflation concerns, gold is a physical asset that cannot be debased by fiscal mismanagement or political interference.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
And, in the process, weakening the ability of American tech companies, many of them based in California, to achieve their goals.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Winds will continue to weaken later in the afternoon, while flooding across the high terrain in the Central Azores is also expected to subside.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a five-floor apartment building in the Solomyanskyi district was partially destroyed and caught fire.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Mexico built a hydroelectric dam, where these golden barrel cactuses live and in an instant their environment was destroyed and this species was almost wiped out.—
Eyder Peralta,
NPR,
28 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bastardize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bastardize. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share