debasing 1 of 3

adjective

Definition of debasingnext
1
as in degrading

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2
as in perverted

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debasing

2 of 3

noun

as in debasement

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debasing

3 of 3

verb

present participle of debase
1
as in corrupting
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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2
as in humiliating
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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of debasing
Verb
Most of us would deny that any socially useful work can be or should be debasing. — Wyatt Williams, Harpers Magazine, 2 June 2026 Blanche is debasing himself and the law in this shameful pursuit. — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026 No one wants to be a jester, debasing oneself for a more powerful person’s amusement. — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 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 But the story of Hilma af Klint lacks the blunt clarity of balance sheets, and her afterlife suggests that money, far from debasing art, is what pins it to the world. — Alice Gregory, New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2025 Is Alec Bloom’s seemingly sincere political schmoozing meaningfully different from arts-nonprofit-director Gary Pidgeon debasing himself to coax money from donors? — Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025 For decades, bartenders have been defaming the Mai Tai, debasing it, making and selling versions of the drink that were childish and incomplex, saccharine and flat. — Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 13 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debasing
  1. degrading
  2. perverted
  3. debasement
  4. corrupting
  5. humiliating
  6. demeaning
  7. unbecoming
  8. humiliation
Adjective
  • Federal authorities have subjected record numbers of immigrants to mandatory detention, including in inhuman and degrading conditions, while gutting internal oversight mechanisms.
    — Minky Worden, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • Detainees recounted degrading and inhumane living conditions that included bathrooms covered in feces, flooded housing units and no access to soap or other basic hygiene supplies, according to the report.
    — Michael Biesecker, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
Definition of degrading
Adjective
  • Tracy Letts plays her perverted husband, while Callum Turner, Jamie Bell, Lukas Gage and Riley Keough star as her very messed up children, and Elle Fanning is Bell’s paramour.
    — Marlow Stern, Variety, 25 July 2026
  • The gravity of the crimes was made apparent not just in the details provided in court documents but by how family members of children at the daycare reacted when the perverted duo appeared in court for their arraignments.
    — Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 6 June 2026
Definition of perverted
Noun
  • As a tail-risk hedge — specifically against financial system stress, currency debasement, and geopolitical crisis — gold's track record is stronger and more consistent.
    — Jason Kirsch, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
  • Bitcoin offers growth potential tied to adoption Like gold, Bitcoin is often viewed as a hedge against currency debasement because its supply is limited.
    — Sharon Wu, USA Today, 2 June 2026
Definition of debasement
Verb
  • The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has reported that AI training data and inputs are being manipulated and warned that attackers could influence model behavior by corrupting the information AI systems rely upon.
    — Syed Ali, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • Character also involves standing up to people who are bankrupting and corrupting this country.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 31 May 2026
Definition of corrupting
Verb
  • The Iranians are now setting the terms of this conflict and are routinely humiliating the American president.
    — Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
  • Instead of demanding personal fealty or humiliating them to assert personal dominance, Lincoln absorbed their egos and occasional slights, elevating their talents and turning his fiercest political adversaries into his most devoted champions.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 24 June 2026
Definition of humiliating
Adjective
  • Some wives and girlfriends balk at the label, calling it demeaning shorthand that gives short shrift to a woman’s own worth.
    — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 22 July 2026
  • Some women who filed lawsuits against Ortega reported they had been confused about whether demeaning or uncomfortable actions the doctor engaged in during exams was within the bounds of necessary medical behavior.
    — Emily Hoerner, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2026
Definition of demeaning
Adjective
  • Yet there is something singularly unbecoming about a franchise as American as Superman (and its adjuncts) being willfully stripped of its patriotism and good cheer.
    — Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 11 July 2026
  • With nothing but the season at stake, Georgia won in a fashion most unbecoming a team that leads Division I in home runs.
    — Ken Sugiura, AJC.com, 17 June 2026
Definition of unbecoming
Noun
  • Hye-ri, the spoiled daughter whose bullying acted as a catalyst for this entire sequence of events, has been sent abroad following the public humiliation of her family.
    — Kayti Burt, Time, 27 July 2026
  • Weber’s account does not play down the violence and humiliation of the process.
    — Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
Definition of humiliation

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debases
debasing
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Cite this Entry

“Debasing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debasing. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of debasing for Spanish Speakers

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