as in degradation
a sinking to a state of low moral standards and behavior
the debasement of professional sports to a shamelessly commercial enterprise
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Recent Examples of debasement
The immediate goal of this concerted information operation is the debasement of American Jews, but the more politically salient goal is the gaslighting of American evangelical Christians—the very core of the MAGA base, and an overwhelmingly pro-Jewish, pro-Israel constituency at that.
—
Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Bitcoin joined gold in the debasement trade as a digital alternative to traditional currencies.
—Krysta Escobar,jill Schneider, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2025
Bailouts Government bailouts contribute to monetary debasement via the creation of new money, which dilutes the currency’s value and fuels inflation.
—Alex Pron, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Bitcoin joined gold in the debasement trade as a digital alternative to traditional currencies.
—Krysta Escobar,jill Schneider, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2025
Bailouts Government bailouts contribute to monetary debasement via the creation of new money, which dilutes the currency’s value and fuels inflation.
—Alex Pron, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debasement
Noun
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The team believes their approach could eventually help regions struggling with industrial contamination and agricultural degradation.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Oct. 2025
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Housing materials in artistic practice are fitting for an environment that is constantly under simultaneous construction and degradation, with sea levels continuing to rise, potholes throughout the city and as our own infrastructure buckles under the weight of an ever growing population.—
Mario Rodriguez,
Miami Herald,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Now its economy has collapsed under the weight of corruption, mismanagement, human rights violations and other woes.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
29 Oct. 2025
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That’s what happened in October 2019, when demonstrations against corruption and high unemployment broke out across Iraq, leading to street clashes that left hundreds of people dead.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Debasement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debasement. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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