as in to popularize
to use so much as to make less appealing the composer's masterpiece has been hopelessly vulgarized by its use in countless TV commercials

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 vulgarize His versions were full-blooded, with lush strings and reasonably large orchestras — and, purists alleged — vulgarizing distortions. BostonGlobe.com, 28 Oct. 2019 Ever since his rise to power, Trump has served as a vulgarizing agent. Leon Neyfakh, Slate Magazine, 2 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vulgarize
Verb
  • Barn jackets are still going strong this season, which is great news for the Waleses, who helped popularize Barbour's prototype throughout the mid-twentieth century.
    Sam Reed, Glamour, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Publications like Scientific American and accounts of the Perry Expedition to Japan helped popularize the concept.
    Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Among many challenges, the next president of the church will navigate how to lead a global church from its American headquarters – a church that continues to be misunderstood and stereotyped, sometimes to the point of violence.
    Brittany Romanello, The Conversation, 10 Oct. 2025
  • That absence increases the risk of caricature and stereotyping in AI image outputs of the Black community.
    Donnetta Monk, Essence, 9 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The word ‘intentional’ is overused, and the act of being intentional is underutilized.
    Bo Howard, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Prominent figures including Green Bay Packers star linebacker Micah Parsons and Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy criticized the Eagles for overusing the play on social media.
    Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Unfortunately, Showgirl is the sound of an overworked and overexposed entertainer reaching the mountaintop to find something worse than disappointment: burnout.
    Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 3 Oct. 2025
  • In the end, the Guardians’ leverage arms were overexposed, and their bats ran out of magic.
    Zack Meisel, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Perhaps some corners of the internet are bored of the bubble talk.
    Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Is the Premier League getting boring?
    Phil Hay, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Vulgarize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vulgarize. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!