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
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Example Sentences
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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
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
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And the Covid-19 pandemic also helped popularize self-experimentation with drugs, as hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin emerged as alternative (but ultimately ineffective) ways to counter the virus.—
Sarah Todd,
STAT,
6 Apr. 2026
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The local outlet credited brothers Dan and Jimmy Massucci, who opened Romeo's Italian Restaurant and Massey's Pizza in 1949, with helping to shape the style and popularize it across Columbus.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Accounting, long stereotyped as dull and tedious, has struggled for years to attract young talent.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
5 Apr. 2026
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Jordan also describes stereotyping on set, recalling producers reducing her to racial tropes, while adding that Black contestants who approached Barker would sometimes be met with visible discomfort.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Derma rollers must be cleaned properly and not overused.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Kansas City Star,
8 Apr. 2026
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Erie, for example, is one of the communities currently threatening to cut off water access to residents who are overusing water at this time.—
Dillon Thomas,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The private credit industry has been roiled in recent months by concerns that it is overexposed to the software industry – an area that’s been under pressure over fears of disintermediation from artificial intelligence.—
Leslie Picker,
CNBC,
2 Apr. 2026
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Journalists related stories to Brown of the future princess giving them the slip, joking with them, managing her media relations so she wouldn’t be overexposed or maligned.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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All of the world’s greatest golfers combined are boring compared to Tiger and his now Elvis-like descent.—
Mac Engel
April 9,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Apr. 2026
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An InStyle fashion writer is recommending her mom swap her usual boring one-piece swimsuits for a tankini.—
Essence Wiley,
InStyle,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vulgarize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vulgarize. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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