DEBAUCHING Synonyms: 74 Similar and Opposite Words

debauching

verb

present participle of debauch

as in corrupting

to lower in character, dignity, or quality the long stay on a tropical isle had debauched the ship's crew to the point where they no longer acted like naval professionals

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 debauching The 2026 State of the Union speech stands in contrast, a speech by a mendacious demagogue who has degraded his listeners by debauching their instincts. — Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for debauching

Verb

Documentarian Alex Gibney is no stranger to dissections of corrupting power — from his feature dives into Enron, Elizabeth Holmes and Scientology.

— Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
Delphi sits above a geologic vent, an X from which noxious gases escaped the earth, corrupting the minds of women who inhaled and pronounced their prophecies.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of corrupting

Verb

Online critics characterized the Polymarket contract as degrading and questioned why celebrity ambassadors would associate themselves with the company.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
Oliver got the show started by kicking his heels together and pointing out that stand-up comedy and a venue like Carnegie Hall are opposing ovals in a Venn diagram, with stand-up degrading such a magnificent space.

— Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of degrading

Verb

OpenAI disclosed a pair of safety incidents that involved AI agents weakening their safety monitoring systems during internal coding tasks.

— Emma Roth, The Verge, 21 Oct. 2026
Meanwhile, weakening brand loyalty threatens an advantage established manufacturers have relied on for decades.

— Matthew Tan, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of weakening

Verb

Several works confront the digital systems shaping contemporary life, subverting algorithms and finding room for human error and agency.

— Matthew Carey, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
According to tax authorities, by inappropriately avoiding gains, investors are subverting the intention of the rules.

— Cheryl Winokur Munk, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of subverting

Verb

The referendum would authorize Miami to issue $450 million in general obligation bonds to repair or replace deteriorating police and fire-rescue facilities, including construction of a new public safety building near Miami Freedom Park.

— Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026
Declining industrial demand can make the electricity balance sheet look healthier, when the reality is that the economy is deteriorating under the pressure of relentless attacks.

— Tatiana Mitrova, Foreign Affairs, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of deteriorating

Verb

This rousing tribute to the free press, delivered by the son of a journalist, was followed by the world premiere of Danny Boyle’s Ink, a film about how the journalists at British tabloid The Sun ended up debasing our entire society.

— Nate Jones, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026
Most of us would deny that any socially useful work can be or should be debasing.

— Wyatt Williams, Harpers Magazine, 2 June 2026

Definition of debasing

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

Browse Nearby Words

debauches

debauching

debilitate

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Debauching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debauching. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of debauching

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

disparate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes