as in to degrade
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
bastardize the art form by adapting it to popular taste
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Recent Examples of bastardize
Our ideals have been bastardized.
—
William Mersey, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
Short’s personality and complexity, attributes long discarded as her life became bastardized, stand in stark contrast to the inhumanity of her death.
—Nathan Smith, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
In both, to bastardize a saying, the play’s the thing.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 30 Nov. 2025
The events meant to bring us together, like the Super Bowl or March Madness, have been bastardized into vehicles for ruinous addiction.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
Additionally, adding the musical element further bastardizes this tale.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Nov. 2025
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
William Mersey, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
Short’s personality and complexity, attributes long discarded as her life became bastardized, stand in stark contrast to the inhumanity of her death.
—Nathan Smith, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
In both, to bastardize a saying, the play’s the thing.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 30 Nov. 2025
The events meant to bring us together, like the Super Bowl or March Madness, have been bastardized into vehicles for ruinous addiction.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
Additionally, adding the musical element further bastardizes this tale.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Nov. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bastardize
Verb
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Some mineral sunscreen manufacturers add UV filters such as butyloctyl salicylic acid and ethylhexyl methoxycrylene to prevent SPF levels from degrading in zinc oxide, which Downs has linked to potential cancer risks and coral toxicity.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Even certain nonstick surfaces can degrade over time.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Rocha Moya and others named have denied the charges, calling them an attempt to subvert Mexico’s sovereignty.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
-
This is part of a continuous Republican effort to gut the Voting Rights Act, dilute Black representation, and subvert the will of the people.—
Sara Tenenbaum,
CBS News,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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However, what the young Valdi captures on these early scenes is the sense that whatever love Michael had for music and performance had become immediately corrupted.—
Paul A. Thompson,
Pitchfork,
27 Apr. 2026
-
One nanny will try to get to the bottom of it before all the partying, power and privilege corrupts her.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Conservatives advocating for a colorblind interpretation are cheering the decision, but liberal critics maintain this decision will dilute Black and Hispanic representation in Congress.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
-
In 2023, a federal judge found that Georgia’s congressional and legislative maps illegally diluted Black voting strength and ordered lawmakers to draw additional majority-Black districts.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Trump has declared that the US will withdraw 5,000 – and probably many more – troops stationed in Germany, after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized the US handling of the Iran conflict, saying Tehran had humiliated Washington.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
3 May 2026
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In her report, Soto accused Sibrian of allegedly mocking and humiliating her for her accent, immigration status and race and calling her stupid.—
Rachel McRady,
PEOPLE,
1 May 2026
Verb
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More than fifty golfers were willing to debase themselves in order to grab some of the Saudis’ cash.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
-
No one wants to be a jester, debasing oneself for a more powerful person’s amusement.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The deeper the rifts between the United States and Europe over Iran, the greater the chances of weakening the NATO alliance.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
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During his appearances on Capitol Hill this month, Secretary Kennendy was grilled about the administration's defense of the pesticide industry and weakening of protections against mercury pollution, another issue that Kennedy had worked on as an advocate.—
Will Stone,
NPR,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Trinity fire, which started May 1 in Phelan, burned 19 acres with no structures damaged, though the blaze destroyed an unknown number of Joshua trees.—
Blanca Begert,
Los Angeles Times,
3 May 2026
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But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian forces destroyed several military and other targets, while also inflicting significant damage on oil port infrastructure.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bastardize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bastardize. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
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