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
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of debase
Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2025
Mayors debase themselves all the time for corporations!
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 26 Aug. 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
See All Example Sentences for debase
Verb
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
Mayors debase themselves all the time for corporations!
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2025
Noun
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
See All Example Sentences for debase
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debase
Verb
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In their world, which is also ours, selfhood has degraded into taste, preferences, demography, and outlays of attention and money.—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
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Unsubstantiated rumors still swirl online and in county meetings that wind, solar and battery storage facilities will degrade the environment, destroy rural culture and lower property values.—
Sophie Hartley,
IndyStar,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Pressing for payment could humiliate people, who often arrive with their extended families, Parmar explained, and in a community this close-knit, that could mean losing dozens of patients, including many of the Medicaid patients who keep the clinic afloat.—
Helen Ouyang,
The Atlantic,
21 Oct. 2025
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By the time the cameras stopped clicking and the newsmen flew home, Kentucky had been humiliated in the national press, the onlooker’s violence both disputed and affirmed in accounts of this day.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In her article, Jane reminds us that meat consumption is responsible for animal suffering and environmental degradation.—
Lisa Wade,
Mercury News,
19 Oct. 2025
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Overall, the most prevalent cause of bird population declines is habitat loss and degradation, driven especially by agricultural expansion and intensification and logging, the IUCN said.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But in 2023, Meloni’s government struck an agreement with Albania – a non-EU country – to build controversial migrant detention centers and subvert the EU agreement.—
Chelsea Bailey,
CNN Money,
19 Oct. 2025
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The ruched toe boxes are another style that playfully subverts the classic loafer design, offering an unfussy ease that helps soften more masculine tailoring.—
Jake Henry Smith,
Glamour,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Pritzker has been trying to debunk claims that Chicago is an out-of-control hellhole; to assert in court that the federal government has no right to send in federal troops; and to discredit the tactics by immigration agents to arrest migrants in his state’s streets and businesses.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
20 Oct. 2025
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Demonstrations can be hard to describe and easy to discredit.—
Nancy Gibbs,
Time,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The opposition accuses Fico of eroding democratic standards, media freedom, and covering up corruption.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
21 Oct. 2025
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Trump’s proposal is part of a recent effort to strengthen relations with Argentina and longtime political ally and Argentinian President Javier Milei, a chainsaw-wielding leader known for both taming the country’s hyperinflation, but also navigating several corruption scandals.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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While the very high end of the market is strong, the aspirational luxury market has weakened due to economic pressures.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
17 Oct. 2025
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Far from expanding opportunity, this excessive wealth locks millions out of the chance to innovate and build, weakening growth for all.—
Scott Ellis,
Time,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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That conflict comes to a head in the middle of campus in the film’s most intense scene, as Alma verbally belittles and demeans her until Maggie snaps and suddenly smacks her mentor.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
15 Oct. 2025
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What once was aberrant—indeed, unimaginable—is now standard Trump fare, demeaning not only to the Presidency but to the rule of law.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
9 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Debase.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debase. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
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