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bastardizing

verb

present participle of bastardize
as in degrading
to lower in character, dignity, or quality bastardize the art form by adapting it to popular taste

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bastardizing
  1. degrading
  2. corrupting
  3. subverting
  4. diluting
  5. perverting
  6. weakening
  7. destroying
  8. deteriorating
Verb
  • In 1963, Gloria Steinem went undercover for a journalism assignment as a Playboy bunny, exposing degrading working conditions that forced policy changes.
    — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
  • While some look at this aesthetic as idealizing a time where women had fewer rights and independence, many trad wives do not think their roles are degrading.
    — Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of degrading
Verb
  • 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
  • Gadgets with screens of any size have long been allegedly melting, rotting, and/or corrupting the brains of youths for decades.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of corrupting
Verb
  • Stalter made a statement with her look at the 2025 Emmys, too, subverting the event’s formal dress code.
    — Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Ouweleen, who took over the top job following the retirement of longtime leader Mike Lazzo in 2022, stressed that the network retains its commitment to subverting expectations even as formats change.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of subverting
Verb
  • Ryan plays Carla Russo, a veteran nurse at Yale Fertility Center who pleads guilty to diverting vast amounts of fentanyl and diluting it with saline, forcing many patients to endure egg-retrieval surgery without anesthesia.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 16 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 diluting
Verb
  • The trial collapsed after the journalist was found to have tampered with evidence (he was later convicted of perverting the course of justice).
    — K.J. Yossman, Variety, 23 June 2026
  • He was also found guilty of perverting the court of justice.
    — StyleCaster Editors, StyleCaster, 27 Mar. 2026
Definition of perverting
Verb
  • That slows price increases by generally weakening economic growth.
    — Matt Peterson, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The immediate priorities are to understand which existing revenue is most secure, where client demand may be weakening and which relationships could lead to additional or recurring work.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of weakening
Verb
  • Fox attorneys also accused executives at both Dominion and Smartmatic of destroying evidence in their respective cases, and sought sanctions.
    — Maddy Lauria, NPR, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Because both sides can persistently generate concentrated effects without concentrating forces, destroying the enemy’s ability to keep fighting becomes harder.
    — NADIA SCHADLOW, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of destroying
Verb
  • The latest contingent is arriving as Haiti confronts a deteriorating security and humanitarian environment and struggles to organize its first general elections in more than a decade.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The company’s financial position had been deteriorating for several years.
    — Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of deteriorating
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.

Browse Nearby Words

bastardizes
bastardizing
bastards
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Cite this Entry

“Bastardizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bastardizing. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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