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
Rachel Wetzler, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2026
Since the summer of 2025, antiforeigner sentiment—fueled by false or exaggerated claims about migrant workers committing crimes, foreign residents draining welfare coffers, or international tourists debasing Japanese culture—has taken hold in Japanese politics.
—Gracia Liu-Farrer, Foreign Affairs, 18 Nov. 2025
Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Bitcoin has failed to respond to typical drivers like dollar weakness or geopolitical risk, unlike gold and silver which rallied to records as global tensions fueled fears about dollar debasement.
—Bloomberg, Oc Register, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for debase
Verb
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
Since the summer of 2025, antiforeigner sentiment—fueled by false or exaggerated claims about migrant workers committing crimes, foreign residents draining welfare coffers, or international tourists debasing Japanese culture—has taken hold in Japanese politics.
—Gracia Liu-Farrer, Foreign Affairs, 18 Nov. 2025
Noun
Over and over, Colin takes stock of his own debasement.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Bitcoin has failed to respond to typical drivers like dollar weakness or geopolitical risk, unlike gold and silver which rallied to records as global tensions fueled fears about dollar debasement.
—Bloomberg, Oc Register, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for debase
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debase
Verb
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Damaged pans may be harder to use safely and may continue degrading with heat, cleaning and metal utensils.—
Ryan Brennan
June 2,
Sacbee.com,
3 June 2026
-
Years of degrading the Star Wars legacy with terrible, unwatchable streaming series and the disappointing end of the previous trilogy have taken their toll.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
2 June 2026
Verb
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Linda Hyde, a Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards member since 2014, boarded her Southwest flight on May 21 at Miami International Airport humiliated and angry.—
Ella Moore
Updated May 29,
Miami Herald,
29 May 2026
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Strength is not the capacity to humiliate someone with less power.—
Marc Brackett,
Hartford Courant,
27 May 2026
Noun
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This collection of poems—Orr’s thirteenth—bears bitter witness to environmental degradation, moral corruption, and the aging of a body and of a generation, all viewed from a bird’s eye, wrapped in the language and tone of myth.—
Craig Morgan Teicher,
Literary Hub,
1 June 2026
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And a 2024 study found that a larger-than-expected proportion of physicians are leaving after fulfilling their service obligations, citing pay disparity, administrative burden, and clinical skill degradation as key drivers.—
Allison DeAngelis,
STAT,
1 June 2026
Verb
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In a blistering dissent, the court’s Democratic justices said the ruling opened the door to allowing Louisiana lawmakers to subvert the will of voters.—
Jack Brook,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2026
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His work was often political, with his cartoonish art prints and couture creations subverting racist iconography from American history.—
Bianca Betancourt,
CNN Money,
2 June 2026
Verb
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After the war, his goalscoring statistics were deleted and his achievements were discredited, with the Polish press labelling him as mentally unstable and an alcoholic.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
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Hit men are dispatched, homicide takes hold, and a smear campaign is hatched to discredit Zaminsky as faking signals to keep his SETI gig.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
31 May 2026
Noun
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Rubio acknowledged that the current arrangement may not be permanent, but described it as a significant departure from the corruption and patronage structures that dominated Venezuela during the Chávez and Maduro years.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
2 June 2026
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Becerra has not been accused of wrongdoing in the corruption case, though that did not stop Steyer’s campaign from suggesting he might be indicted in eleventh-hour TV ads that drew a cease-and-desist warning from Becerra’s attorney.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
2 June 2026
Verb
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The Reserve Bank of Australia will likely focus on the strength of private demand before factoring in the conflict, alongside inflation risks stemming from weak productivity and rising unit labor costs, according to Stenner, who expects household consumption to weaken in the second quarter.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
3 June 2026
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Critics counter that scarcity alone does not guarantee value if investor demand weakens.—
Sharon Wu,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
Verb
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Racists dismissed them as lesser beings, demeaned them and made life hard for all people of color — whites-only facilities and hard jobs.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 May 2026
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Inspectors documented staff using demeaning language, displaying extremist imagery, and engaging in conduct that violated the Bureau’s own standards.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debase.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debase. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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