1
as in to degrade
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
we debase ourselves when we adopt the moral code and behavior of our despised enemies
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to humiliate
to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes
our failure to win a single game completely debased us
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of debase
This is what distinguishes bitcoin from every other modern financial asset – like gold, it cannot be debased by fiat or easily censored.
—
Dave Birnbaum, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
By that time – perhaps only a decade from now, perhaps longer – the dollar may have been debased so badly that one bitcoin might be priced at $1 trillion or more.
—Dave Birnbaum, Forbes, 24 Nov. 2024
His illuminating backstage account of cable news describes thoughtful journalists debasing themselves in their scramble to retain straying viewers.
—Daniel Immerwahr, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
Only by allowing himself to be debased can this man actually come to understand God.
—Kevin Lincoln, Vulture, 20 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debase
Dave Birnbaum, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
By that time – perhaps only a decade from now, perhaps longer – the dollar may have been debased so badly that one bitcoin might be priced at $1 trillion or more.
—Dave Birnbaum, Forbes, 24 Nov. 2024
His illuminating backstage account of cable news describes thoughtful journalists debasing themselves in their scramble to retain straying viewers.
—Daniel Immerwahr, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
Only by allowing himself to be debased can this man actually come to understand God.
—Kevin Lincoln, Vulture, 20 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debase
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debase
Verb
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Plus, this rash guard’s fabric blocks 98% of UVA and UVB rays, though keep in mind that frequent laundering will degrade the UV-blocking ability over time.5 In general, it’s recommended that UPF clothing be replaced after 40-50 washes.—
Laura Lu,
Parents,
19 May 2025
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Meanwhile, Erebus is at risk of degrading due to strong currents.—
Meilan Solly,
Smithsonian Magazine,
19 May 2025
Verb
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The writer-director’s smartest move is never to deny Colin his dignity, even when he’s humiliated for disappointing Ray or getting vigorously plowed on a table.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
18 May 2025
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But who among us has not had a little marital spat over one person buying an entire hospital just to humiliate the other?—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
16 May 2025
Verb
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This opens the door to whole new fields of enterprise, ethical and criminal, involving influencing the actions of—or simply subverting—AI agents.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
12 May 2025
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The Incoherent Case for Tariffs Trump’s fixation on economic coercion will subvert his economic goals.—
Antony J. Blinken,
Foreign Affairs,
6 May 2025
Verb
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The attempts to discredit women like Ventura discount the reality of their lives, Gee said.—
Lisa Respers France,
CNN Money,
13 May 2025
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But in a possible attempt to discredit Pryor, her name and some details of her confidential complaint, available only to the mayor, commissioners and senior city employees, have been circulated publicly.—
Steve Bousquet,
Sun Sentinel,
10 May 2025
Verb
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In Colorado, for example, several AI companies recently lobbied to delay and weaken the state’s landmark AI accountability legislation — a preview of what unchecked industry influence could look like under a regulatory freeze.—
Anisha Sircar,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2025
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Growing same-store sales by 3%, fueled by an increase in customer transactions, in a three-month period marked by tariff uncertainty and weakening consumer sentiment is impressive.—
Kevin Stankiewicz,
CNBC,
21 May 2025
Verb
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Black Sun is set in the time of an uninhabitable drought and follows Kai, who struggles with his retracting genital and his wife, Ling, who demeans him with this impotency.—
Sara Merican,
Deadline,
16 May 2025
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What once was used to demean us became a subversive tool for resistance throughout the diaspora.—
Taryn Finley,
Refinery29,
1 May 2025
Verb
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Absolute power may corrupt absolutely, but absolute wealth can separate the wealthy from reality.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
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We were told that he was just morally corrupted by the White House, by Democrats in Congress.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 May 2025
Verb
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The atmosphere, at once debauched and sombre, felt like a wake, one attendee said.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2025
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But as commercialization took hold, the event metastasized into a pit of hard drugs, drunkenness, and debauch a world apart from its bohemian origins.—
Charlie Campbell,
TIME,
17 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Debase.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debase. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
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