Synonyms of debased

debased 1 of 2

adjective

as in degraded

having or showing lowered moral character or standards

a book that examines the debased character of the criminal mind

Synonyms & Similar Words

• degraded
• corrupt
• sick
• depraved
• perverted
• decadent
• degenerate
• debauched
• warped
• dissolute
• crooked
• demoralized
• loose
• unclean
• perverse
• unwholesome
• dissipated
• libertine
• spoiled
• dishonest
• vicious
• rakish
• reprobate
• immoral
• evil
• bad
• wicked
• unscrupulous
• unprincipled
• rakehell
• contaminated
• bent
• tainted
• unethical
• jackleg
• cutthroat
• sinful
• iniquitous
• nefarious
• miscreant

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• pure
• uncorrupted
• incorruptible
• uncorrupt
• ethical
• honest
• virtuous
• moral
• good
• principled
• righteous

debased

2 of 2

verb

past tense of debase

1

as in corrupted

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

• degraded
• corrupted
• weakened
• deteriorated
• perverted
• depraved
• humiliated
• poisoned
• subverted
• diluted
• debauched
• demeaned
• destroyed
• prostituted
• damaged
• disgraced
• ruined
• bastardized
• cheapened
• vitiated
• warped
• polluted
• cankered
• demoralized
• tainted
• profaned
• marred
• abased
• lessened
• contaminated
• shamed
• impaired
• humbled
• defiled
• hurt
• wrecked
• thinned
• harmed
• dishonored
• tarnished
• flawed
• spoiled
• watered down
• dirtied
• stained
• begrimed
• befouled
• defaced
• depreciated
• descended
• downgraded
• blemished
• took down

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• elevated
• uplifted
• improved
• exalted
• ennobled
• honored
• amended
• dignified
• enriched
• enhanced
• perfected
• refined
• restored
• ameliorated
• purified
• bettered
• cleaned
• cleansed
• clarified
• respected
• meliorated

2

as in humiliated

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

• humiliated
• discredited
• degraded
• disgraced
• embarrassed
• shamed
• humbled
• confused
• demeaned
• dishonored
• cheapened
• insulted
• abased
• chastened
• rattled
• smirched
• diminished
• lowered
• fouled
• criticized
• took down
• ridiculed
• mortified
• disparaged
• sank
• flustered
• disconcerted
• maligned
• depreciated
• discounted
• belittled
• discountenanced
• minimized
• nonplussed
• defiled
• confounded
• abashed
• condemned
• decried
• slandered
• discomfited
• detracted
• defamed
• affronted
• castigated
• libeled
• fazed
• denounced
• execrated
• cried down
• censured
• damned
• put down
• reprobated
• wrote off
• reprehended
• bad-mouthed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• elevated
• exalted
• deified
• recognized
• celebrated
• decorated
• cited
• praised
• honored
• canonized
• applauded
• acknowledged
• extolled
• commended
• cheered
• lauded
• acclaimed
• boasted
• complimented
• saluted
• hailed
• feted
• congratulated
• eulogized
• aggrandized
• touted
• ennobled
• highlighted
• dignified
• magnified
• enshrined
• promoted
• advanced
• glorified
• played up
• spotlighted
• lifted
• enthroned
• upgraded
• uplifted
• raised
• idealized
• boosted
• romanticized
• enskied

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of debased

Adjective

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

Meanwhile, the very vocabulary of humanitarianism and antiracism has become so selectively applied or debased as to be meaningless. — Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Atlantic, 28 June 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