BASTARDIZE Synonyms: 74 Similar and Opposite Words

bastardize

verb

ˈba-stər-ˌdīz

Definition of bastardize

as in to degrade

to lower in character, dignity, or quality bastardize the art form by adapting it to popular taste

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 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 See All Example Sentences for bastardize

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bastardize

Verb

As industries increasingly operate equipment in extreme thermal and demanding environments, optical components must withstand conditions that can quickly degrade conventional materials.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2026
When a critical resource of a larger system is categorized as interchangeable, the company triggers savings logic that, in pursuit of lower prices, degrades quality.

— Mindaugas Čaplinskas, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of degrade

Verb

The title character and his fellow physicists spend much of their early years refusing to work for the Soviet military machine; building bombs would corrupt the purity and beauty of their science.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 14 Sep. 2026
And by engaging with these powerful militaries, the group reinforced its self-image as a major regional player that was uniquely capable of liberating the Muslim world from corrupting American and Israeli influence.

— April Longley Alley, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of corrupt

Verb

Mid-decade redistricting frenzy Vance suggested that Republican state lawmakers have every right to dilute the voting power of left-leaning Kansas City amid a bitter partisan fight for control of Congress.

— Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2026
Too much success at entry prices comes with a risk of overexposure, diluting brand equity and perhaps training the consumer to hold off for even more price cuts, the report warns.

— Miles Socha, Footwear News, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of dilute

Verb

Continue reading … STILL THEIR TURF — Walker outgains Denver's entire offense as Chiefs humiliate Broncos on MNF.

— , FOXNews.com, 15 Sep. 2026
On a cold night in November 2011, in a field outside Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine, a gang of thugs stormed a Soviet scientific research institute, beat and humiliated the staff and burned the place to the ground.

— Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of humiliate

Verb

This rousing tribute to the free press, delivered by the son of a journalist, was followed by the world premiere of Danny Boyle’s Ink, a film about how the journalists at British tabloid The Sun ended up debasing our entire society.

— Nate Jones, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026
The bulk of these are in regions like Africa and South America, where governments have repeatedly debased national currencies, and prompted their citizens to seek out sturdier assets like Tether’s dollar and gold offerings instead.

— Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of debase

Verb

People familiar with the deliberations said lawmakers worried the requirements would raise drug prices and weaken national security by revealing the precise locations where lifesaving medications are made.

— Naisha Roy, ProPublica, 18 Sep. 2026
Macron warned that the attacks would not go unanswered and accused Moscow of trying to intimidate Europeans into weakening their support for Ukraine.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of weaken

Verb

The fire destroyed the historic Grand Canyon Lodge, cabins and other structures.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
Mark Zuckerberg certainly wants no part of one, and cutthroat competition seems hard-coded into tech executives, who are rich enough not to need to win but wake up every morning trying to destroy each other anyway.

— Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of destroy

Browse Nearby Words

bastard

bastardize

bastardized

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“Bastardize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bastardize. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of bastardize

verb

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