as in to vulgarize
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Recent Examples of coarsen
If Trump’s effect on the Republican Party was simply to coarsen it, then progressives might have grimaced and taken it.
—
The New Yorker, 16 Apr. 2022
But Democrats were helping to coarsen it long before Trump came along.
—Marc A. Thiessen, The Mercury News, 8 Aug. 2019
In a country so divided and coarsened, does one person’s private struggle for moral purity really matter?
—Danny Heitman, WSJ, 30 Dec. 2018
Look, the culture has been coarsened, the entertainment industry, music, film, billboards, television, everything is over sexualized or too violent or just dumped down altogether.
—Fox News, 3 Aug. 2018
See All Example Sentences for coarsen
The New Yorker, 16 Apr. 2022
But Democrats were helping to coarsen it long before Trump came along.
—Marc A. Thiessen, The Mercury News, 8 Aug. 2019
In a country so divided and coarsened, does one person’s private struggle for moral purity really matter?
—Danny Heitman, WSJ, 30 Dec. 2018
Look, the culture has been coarsened, the entertainment industry, music, film, billboards, television, everything is over sexualized or too violent or just dumped down altogether.
—Fox News, 3 Aug. 2018
See All Example Sentences for coarsen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coarsen
Verb
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His versions were full-blooded, with lush strings and reasonably large orchestras — and, purists alleged — vulgarizing distortions.—
BostonGlobe.com,
BostonGlobe.com,
28 Oct. 2019
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Ever since his rise to power, Trump has served as a vulgarizing agent.—
Leon Neyfakh,
Slate Magazine,
2 June 2017
Verb
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The exhausting years-long battle to protect the resources and restorative magic of Grand Staircase-Escalante can wear out supporters.—
Stephen Trimble,
Denver Post,
18 Feb. 2026
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Veterans worn out by last game In this three-team, four-quarter format, someone from Game 3 was always going to have to play in back-to-back games in the title matchup.—
David K. Li,
NBC news,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Or maybe their current bullpen composition will force the Yankees to splurge on relievers – and further deplete their farm system – prior to the trade deadline for the second straight year.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
16 Feb. 2026
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But Greg Abbott is bending over backwards to build data centers that line the pockets of his donors, while raising our utility rates and depleting our water.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The business side, and the demands of independent touring, had left the singer-songwriter jaded, despite having a reliable fanbase and lifelong friendships with major Texas acts such as Randy Rogers and Wade Bowen.—
Josh Crutchmer,
Rolling Stone,
1 Jan. 2026
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Their mini-quests provide a bit of decent action here and there, as well as plenty of principled banter between a blinkered optimist (Lucy) and jaded doomsayer (Ghoul).—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
16 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Most retirees are overexposed to housing.—
Allison Schrager,
Twin Cities,
1 Feb. 2026
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That range can provide diversification benefits without overexposing retirees to price swings that don't generate dividends or interest.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Education experts and parent advocates who are concerned about schools overusing devices for instruction said the documents shed new light, in candid detail, on the business motivations behind one of the biggest technology companies marketing its products to teachers and school administrators.—
Tyler Kingkade,
NBC news,
23 Jan. 2026
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So, if the idea of culture is overused, its importance tells the path to success — or failure.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Kelly Enders-Tharp, a three-time surrogate and education and experience specialist at Growing Generations, explains that surrogates are often stereotyped, or that their backgrounds are misrepresented.—
Kris Ann Valdez,
Parents,
13 Feb. 2026
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Many of the musicians and audience members belonged to a generation that’s often stereotyped as languishing in apathy and isolation—but whose indignation about the suffering in Gaza has far outpaced that of other generations.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Coarsen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coarsen. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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