1
as in degrading
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Dissimilar Words
2
as in perverted
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in debasement
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Dissimilar Words
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of debasing
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
Verb
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
Adjective
-
Were Fidel Castro’s efforts to free his people from the degrading influences of foreigners meant to be erased by a president who, instead of allowing Cuba to struggle with its problems, added to them by cutting its oil supply?—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Former detainees and human rights organizations have documented systematic torture and severe abuses inside the facility, including beatings, electric shocks, suspension by limbs, prolonged stress positions and other degrading treatment.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
This creates a jarring effect as the significance of her busy endeavours is sublimated by the perverted impulse to judge her physical form.—
Sophie Monks Kaufman,
IndieWire,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Udo Kier is the perverted master of ceremonies in this three-ring circus of deviancy from director Paul Morrissey, which takes Frankenstein’s romantic necrophilia and distills it to its glistening, taboo essence.—
Katie Rife,
Vulture,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Investors who are particularly concerned about currency debasement or geopolitical instability — both of which have driven gold's price run in recent years — may also find the physical gold component meaningful.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Over and over, Colin takes stock of his own debasement.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In his Phaedrus, Plato attacked reading as corrupting true philosophical dialectic.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Richard Pazdur, a longtime cancer drug regulator, retired from the CDER director post in December due to concerns that political officials were corrupting the agency’s scientific process.—
Lizzy Lawrence,
STAT,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Some, like Zdorovetskiy, have been accused of assaulting and humiliating their targets as viewers push for violence.—
Shira Moolten,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Mar. 2026
-
First there was Norwegian’s Sturla Holm Lægreid confessing to cheating on his girlfriend during a live interview after winning the bronze medal and tearfully begging her to come back (shockingly, humiliating his ex on national television didn’t work).—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Political bullies also enjoy demeaning names and character assassination.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Constantly at each other’s throats, the pair matches wits with demeaning quips and physical comedy greatness.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
14 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Asashoryu is also remembered as the first yokozuna to be suspended from competition, a consequence of his taking part in a charity soccer match in Mongolia after withdrawing from a sumo tournament because of an injury, a decision seen as unbecoming of a wrestler of his stature.—
Joshua Hunt,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
-
There are so many beautiful, colorful clothes in the stores, yet women are often dressed in grays, blacks, whites and sneakers, not to mention yoga pants, pants with holes in them and unbecoming tops.—
Letters To The Editor,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Here, group dates often involve good-natured humiliation rituals that vaguely correspond to a romantic theme.—
Rebecca Jennings,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
-
The team subsequently finished last in its group, losing all three of its games, including a 5-1 humiliation to the artist formerly known as Czechoslovakia.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debasing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debasing. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
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