debased 1 of 2

debased

2 of 2

verb

past tense of debase
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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 debased
Adjective
The plates feature debased imprints of the same signature shapes, creating a dialogue with the glasses. — Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 17 Sep. 2026 That wasn’t its only subject; comedy and power and misogyny and creativity and intergenerational conflict and work ethic and, especially in its last few seasons, the debased state of the entertainment industry were all richly explored through lines. — Judy Berman, Time, 8 July 2026 And this has lent Margot a debased sort of celebrity. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 Apr. 2026 But the influencer landscape is getting debased and splintered and a bit draining, even for Kylie. — Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 11 Mar. 2026 Now, several polls show that Wyomingites oppose killing wildlife with vehicles, which gives public officials in the next Legislative session an opening to prohibit this debased practice. — Wendy Keefover, Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2026 The script, penned by Bartek Bartosik and Naqqash Khalid, becomes bizarrely moralistic by the end, insinuating that the debased and debauched might perhaps see their problems solved by becoming domesticated. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 6 Mar. 2026 In an era of debased and divisive politics, Jon Batiste is putting the pop back into populism. — Andrew Gilbert, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Dec. 2025 Only the first is still fashionable, and the last has been so debased, misused, and weaponized over the centuries as to be almost unspeakable in polite company. — Zadie Smith, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Verb
In my opinion, the president and his incompetent, corrupt acolytes have debased the office and dragged the good name of America through the mud. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 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 Look at how much the city had debased this pilgrim in six months, a year. — David Hajdu, The Atlantic, 16 July 2026 Haphazardly propped on the ground with wiring and hardware exposed, the flags appear as symbols debased and emptied after centuries of misuse. — Rachel Wetzler, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2026 Within this world no others exist, except as things to be debased. — David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025 Dogville, from 2003, is an experimental Lars von Trier film shot on a stage set in which Kidman plays a woman debased and abused by the inhabitants of a small town. — Wendell Steavenson, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2025 Unlike bonds, which promise repayment of the primary investment at a future date, warranting demands for higher yields to offset inflation concerns, gold is a physical asset that cannot be debased by fiscal mismanagement or political interference. — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debased
Adjective
  • Design choices previously thought to boost power, such as widening the gap between electrodes, actually degraded performance under true operating conditions.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Initially, Pike’s attorneys and several death penalty experts raised the possibility that the drugs may have been too old or degraded to work as intended.
    — Keri Blakinger, ProPublica, 6 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • At every stop, Talarico has argued that, for too long, the wealthy and their donations have corrupted politics, and that this corruption has fueled the affordability crisis.
    — STEVEN SLOAN, Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2026
  • And that includes his warning that TV news has been corrupted by the agendas of the powerful, wealthy billionaires who now control a large portion of the media.
    — Michael Schneider, Variety, 26 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • From the very start, the students assigned as guards went on cruel power trips and repeatedly humiliated — if not psychologically tortured — the inmates, to the point that some of the prisoners suffered nervous breakdowns.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The Packers come off an angry loss while the Panthers were humiliated on Sunday.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 29 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Many progressives, led by Bernie Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont, also believe that a global oligarchy poses a threat to democracy and see big business in defense, technology, and finance as part of a corrupt system.
    — THOMAS WRIGHT, Foreign Affairs, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Donalds is just another gear in the Republican engine that is beholden to the wealthy the powerful and the corrupt — all at the expense of working-class Floridians.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 3 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • After the Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act, Alabama Republicans redrew Shomari Figures’ district, cutting its Black voting-age population from 48% to 40%.
    — Kim Chandler, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Eisenkot's allies could also try to reverse legislation advanced by Netanyahu's government that critics say weakened Israel's democratic institutions and judicial independence.
    — Itay Stern, NPR, 30 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • News of the briefing leaked, and the senators lashed out at the FBI, saying their efforts to scrutinize the Biden family had been discredited and falsely linked to Russian disinformation.
    — Eric Tucker, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The regime discredited the uncorroborated claims by having state media release photos of the 42-year-old dictator touring a clothing and footwear exhibition in Pyongyang with his wife and teenage daughter Kim Ju Ae.
    — Anna Coren, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Ahead of Wednesday night’s game against the Buffalo Sabres, Ridly Greig was nursing his own lower-body injury, and Tyler Kleven was too sick to play.
    — Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The state’s health department cautions that the true number is most certainly higher because not everyone who gets sick seeks medical care.
    — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • The restoration team replaced the building’s roof and windows, which had deteriorated over years of neglect.
    — Shira Li Bartov, Sun Sentinel, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The dominance of drone warfare in this conflict makes aboveground travel extremely dangerous, and services and supplies have deteriorated sharply since May.
    — Alexander Smith, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Debased.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debased. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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