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
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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
Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debauching
Verb
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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
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In this way at least, the mayor follows in the path of Socrates by corrupting the young.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Nor was the fact that much of our president’s career has been spent mocking, belittling, and degrading women.—
Brittany Pettersen,
Denver Post,
27 Feb. 2026
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Moreover, all recent presidents have resorted to the degrading spectacle of dragging humble fellow citizens into the spotlight, either to celebrate their achievements or, far worse, to make a spectacle of their private grief by putting it under the klieg lights of national publicity.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That hasn’t happened, and attacks continue to fly, potentially weakening the eventual GOP nominee.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
9 Mar. 2026
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Bank of England officials will now have to weigh the risks of weakening demand in the UK economy, against surging oil and gas prices.—
Irina Anghel,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For his purposes of subverting elections, creating uncertainty may be nearly as effective as a real policy change.—
David A. Graham,
The Atlantic,
18 Feb. 2026
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And her co-stars—Jacob Elordi as a brooding Heathcliff, Alison Oliver as an angelic Isabella Linton, Hong Chau as a steely Nelly Dean, and Shazad Latif as a swaggering Edgar Linton—would also be subverting our expectations.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Attorneys argue Colin Gray's accountability for shooting Prosecutors argued that Colin Gray gave his son the weapon used in the shooting and ammunition despite multiple warning signs that the boy's mental state was deteriorating.—
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
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The supervisors voted more than four years ago to shut down Men’s Central Jail, a downtown facility notorious for dangerous and deteriorating conditions, without building a replacement.—
Rebecca Ellis,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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Cindy Sommer — Todd’s widow, accused of poisoning her husband.—
Dateline NBC,
NBC news,
2 Mar. 2026
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Lauber’s testimony Thursday is pivotal to the prosecution of Kouri Richins, who is accused of poisoning her husband with a lethal dose of fentanyl.—
Nicki Brown,
CNN Money,
27 Feb. 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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Debauching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debauching. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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