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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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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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of debase
Dave Birnbaum, Forbes.com, 4 July 2025
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
Alex Pron, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debase
Verb
Among many methods deployed, the most common was to debase the circulating coins and inflate the money supply.
—Dave Birnbaum, Forbes.com, 4 July 2025
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
Noun
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
See All Example Sentences for debase
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debase
Verb
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But warming ocean temperatures, rising sea levels, disease and human activity, such as pollution, have severely degraded Florida's reefs, according to the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
1 Oct. 2025
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The team’s goal is to track and predict how asphalt roads degrade.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Lord Lovat is utterly humiliated and this turns out to be a major problem for Brian.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
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There’s always a moment in which somebody humiliates the villain and now all the love in him is gone.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
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For Parisian Jews in 1941 and 1942, these thefts were compounded by a cascade of other degradations, including the loss of distinguished positions at the Sorbonne, in banking, science, and medicine, with more devastation to come.—
Christopher C. Gorham
September 29,
Literary Hub,
29 Sep. 2025
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Zanardi’s statement provides a glimpse into the way detentions have been conducted as well as the powerful degradation of trust in the system that has led up to two-thirds of immigrants scheduled for hearings to skip them in fear of arrest.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The show also subverted what the traditional mother-daughter relationship, and the role of a mother in general, can look like in the modern world.—
Anna Tingley,
Variety,
3 Oct. 2025
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The film examines how boundaries are inscribed and looks to plants as models for subverting systems of control.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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There would be accusations of race manipulation, an online mob discrediting Wallace’s win as undeserved, and an angry Joe Gibbs Racing organization, which would now realize Hamlin puts another team’s interests ahead of their own.—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
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Over time, as research increasingly pointed to genetics as a major factor in autism, the theory was discredited.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In 2019, the 37-year-old Bukele ran for president as a populist outsider promising to defeat crime and corruption in a nation with one of the world’s worst homicide rates and a history of former presidents being charged with crimes.—
T. Christian Miller,
ProPublica,
30 Sep. 2025
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Milei has had more success taming Argentina’s hyperinflation than first expected, but has been dealing with a brewing currency crisis and several corruption scandals.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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For investors, even opposition threats of repeal weaken confidence by raising doubts about long-term policy stability.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
3 Oct. 2025
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While his core supporters remain loyal, sustained disapproval among the broader public could weaken his leverage in negotiations with Congress and erode confidence in his leadership.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Marra’s wife says their family has received hateful messages and read demeaning online posts about them since Hegseth posted about Marra on X a few weeks ago.—
Maura Fox,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Sep. 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Debase.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debase. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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