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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of debase
Read More: The Battle for Our Memory Is the Battle for Our Country
But debasing our history through censorship and ideological cherry-picking insults the memory of the nine saints who were murdered at Mother Emanuel, desecrating its sacred space all over again.
—
Kevin Sack, Time, 3 June 2025
At its most depraved level, this is get-rich-quick music; these artist-grifters are like sycophantic workers debasing themselves for the Big Boss Algorithm.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 21 May 2025
An office that demands wisdom and restraint is now debased with churlish impulsivity, rambling incoherency and overt grift.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 May 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for debase
Kevin Sack, Time, 3 June 2025
At its most depraved level, this is get-rich-quick music; these artist-grifters are like sycophantic workers debasing themselves for the Big Boss Algorithm.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 21 May 2025
An office that demands wisdom and restraint is now debased with churlish impulsivity, rambling incoherency and overt grift.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 May 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for debase
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debase
Verb
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In some cases, performance degraded despite having access to better tools.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
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However, as seals in the engines, designed to stop leaks, wear and degrade, oil seeps in and vaporizes in the heat, releasing toxic compounds onboard.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Continually moving the goalposts or using testing to humiliate or control can cause relational harm.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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And Sacks, a PayPal Mafia member and veteran Silicon Valley investor, is just the sort of titan of industry this town routinely devours and humiliates — from Rex Tillerson to, well, Elon Musk.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Those tactics are also used to generate funds meant to help the regime subvert international sanctions and develop its nuclear weapons programs, according to the US government.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
14 Sep. 2025
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Consistently subverting audience expectations, Don’t Breathe features an incredibly twisted game of cat-and-mouse.—
Yasmeen Hamadeh,
PEOPLE,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Holmes likewise discredited the MS-13 accusation, for which prosecutors relied on the testimony of coöperating witnesses who either contradicted one another or were otherwise unreliable.—
Cristian Farias,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
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The Cordell report has since been discredited — missing transcripts, factual errors and even confusion of key witnesses.—
Matthew J. Frauenfeld,
Mercury News,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Foreign powers such as Russia and China, which challenge America and its allies from Europe to the Middle East to Taiwan and the South China Sea, have long been accused of exploiting such divisions through disinformation campaigns that inflame tensions and weaken confidence in American governance.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
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But around the equinoxes, the natural buffer weakens.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Beyond wait time fees, the DOJ complaint also details instances where Uber drivers allegedly refused service to passengers with service animals, canceled rides after learning a passenger was blind, or demeaned riders with disabilities.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
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Even worse, the guidelines gave room for chatbots to demean people by race and spread false medical claims.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The additional time exposed to harsh radiation is, not surprisingly, corrupting JunoCam's images.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
12 Sep. 2025
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The baffling Windows 11 update bug that corrupted SSDs now appears to be linked to storage drives running pre-release firmware.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The dark comedy follows a wealthy socialite, Stacy (Cherry), and a struggling writer, Becky (Chalotra), who are brought together at a lavish, debauched New York party.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Aug. 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Debase.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debase. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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