debauch

Synonym Chooser

How is the word debauch different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of debauch are corrupt, debase, deprave, pervert, and vitiate. While all these words mean "to cause deterioration or lowering in quality or character," debauch implies a debasing through sensual indulgence.

the long stay on a tropical isle had debauched the ship's crew

When would corrupt be a good substitute for debauch?

While the synonyms corrupt and debauch are close in meaning, corrupt implies loss of soundness, purity, or integrity.

the belief that bureaucratese corrupts the language

Where would debase be a reasonable alternative to debauch?

The synonyms debase and debauch are sometimes interchangeable, but debase implies a loss of position, worth, value, or dignity.

commercialism has debased the holiday

When could deprave be used to replace debauch?

Although the words deprave and debauch have much in common, deprave implies moral deterioration by evil thoughts or influences.

the claim that society is depraved by pornography

When is pervert a more appropriate choice than debauch?

While in some cases nearly identical to debauch, pervert implies a twisting or distorting from what is natural or normal.

perverted the original goals of the institute

When might vitiate be a better fit than debauch?

The words vitiate and debauch are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, vitiate implies a destruction of purity, validity, or effectiveness by allowing entrance of a fault or defect.

a foreign policy vitiated by partisanship

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 debauch The atmosphere, at once debauched and sombre, felt like a wake, one attendee said. Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025 But as commercialization took hold, the event metastasized into a pit of hard drugs, drunkenness, and debauch a world apart from its bohemian origins. Charlie Campbell, TIME, 17 Mar. 2025 Life is debauched and consistent, until that handsome twentysomething gent wanders into Lee’s favorite watering hole. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 27 Nov. 2024 But as commercialization took hold, the event metastasized into a pit of hard drugs, drunkenness, and debauch a world apart from its bohemian origins. Charlie Campbell, TIME, 17 Mar. 2025 In season two, when Mike White’s series decamped to Sicily, the credits riffed on Italian frescoes that got increasingly debauched — with a beat drop from opera to EDM. Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2025 Life is debauched and consistent, until that handsome twentysomething gent wanders into Lee’s favorite watering hole. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 27 Nov. 2024 That doesn’t seem especially forbidden or debauched. Chris Klimek, Vulture, 17 July 2024 Instead, Mixtape Pluto is subterranean and nocturnal, hedonistic one minute and aching with regrets the next, debauched but wounded. Christopher R. Weingarten, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debauch
Verb
  • Meanwhile, Erebus is at risk of degrading due to strong currents.
    Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 May 2025
  • Plus, this rash guard’s fabric blocks 98% of UVA and UVB rays, though keep in mind that frequent laundering will degrade the UV-blocking ability over time.5 In general, it’s recommended that UPF clothing be replaced after 40-50 washes.
    Laura Lu, Parents, 19 May 2025
Verb
  • Led by Dark Samus, the Space Pirates corrupt the planet Norion and then go on to knock out the bounty hunters using a Phazon Beam.
    Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 1 May 2025
  • Over time, suppressing empathy can become a habit and create a state of apathy in a person that corrupts their moral sentiments.
    Ross Overline, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Years later, the toxic chemicals have poisoned Hong-rang’s body.
    Kayti Burt, Time, 16 May 2025
  • And two, baking soda is an indiscriminate weed killer that poisons the soil.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 16 May 2025
Verb
  • At its most depraved level, this is get-rich-quick music; these artist-grifters are like sycophantic workers debasing themselves for the Big Boss Algorithm.
    Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 21 May 2025
  • The site just becomes a generically unpleasant way of showing Mike debasing himself to meet the escalating prices.
    Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The writer-director’s smartest move is never to deny Colin his dignity, even when he’s humiliated for disappointing Ray or getting vigorously plowed on a table.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 18 May 2025
  • But who among us has not had a little marital spat over one person buying an entire hospital just to humiliate the other?
    Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 16 May 2025
Verb
  • Others may develop it after pregnancy, as the muscles and ligaments around the uterus can loosen or weaken.
    Brandi Jones, Health, 10 May 2025
  • This weakens their ability to tailor experiences and erodes marketing efficiency.
    Amit Jhawar, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
Verb
  • The rule of law has been invoked and perverted in a concerted effort to undermine it.
    Mark A. Cohen, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025
  • The only conspiracy is what Bove and Bondi are engaged in, perverting a prosecution for their political gain.
    New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • This opens the door to whole new fields of enterprise, ethical and criminal, involving influencing the actions of—or simply subverting—AI agents.
    Bernard Marr, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025
  • The Incoherent Case for Tariffs Trump’s fixation on economic coercion will subvert his economic goals.
    Antony J. Blinken, Foreign Affairs, 6 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Debauch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debauch. Accessed 24 May. 2025.

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