as in to degrade
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
bastardize the art form by adapting it to popular taste
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Recent Examples of bastardize
Short’s personality and complexity, attributes long discarded as her life became bastardized, stand in stark contrast to the inhumanity of her death.
—
Nathan Smith, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
In both, to bastardize a saying, the play’s the thing.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 30 Nov. 2025
The events meant to bring us together, like the Super Bowl or March Madness, have been bastardized into vehicles for ruinous addiction.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
Additionally, adding the musical element further bastardizes this tale.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Nov. 2025
Over the years, though, the cocktail has become bastardized into a sugary drink containing all sorts of fruit juices and sweeteners, causing it to be denegrated alongside the likes of Long Island Ice Teas and Strawberry Daiquiris.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 17 Apr. 2023
These white people in blackface entertained the masses with stereotypes of Blackness, bastardizing the Black identity in the process.
—Tayo Bero, refinery29.com, 4 Apr. 2023
Society, this week, also bastardized two wholesome childhood fixtures, SunnyD and Girl Scout Cookies.
—Li Goldstein, Bon Appétit, 10 Mar. 2023
Videos that bastardize neighborhood names, or cluelessly treat storied establishments like new discoveries.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2022
Nathan Smith, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
In both, to bastardize a saying, the play’s the thing.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 30 Nov. 2025
The events meant to bring us together, like the Super Bowl or March Madness, have been bastardized into vehicles for ruinous addiction.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
Additionally, adding the musical element further bastardizes this tale.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Nov. 2025
Over the years, though, the cocktail has become bastardized into a sugary drink containing all sorts of fruit juices and sweeteners, causing it to be denegrated alongside the likes of Long Island Ice Teas and Strawberry Daiquiris.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 17 Apr. 2023
These white people in blackface entertained the masses with stereotypes of Blackness, bastardizing the Black identity in the process.
—Tayo Bero, refinery29.com, 4 Apr. 2023
Society, this week, also bastardized two wholesome childhood fixtures, SunnyD and Girl Scout Cookies.
—Li Goldstein, Bon Appétit, 10 Mar. 2023
Videos that bastardize neighborhood names, or cluelessly treat storied establishments like new discoveries.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bastardize
Verb
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Cold storage facilities have long struggled to automate inventory management due to frost, airflow, condensation, and glare, all of which degrade conventional sensors and scanning systems.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Feb. 2026
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To degrade what's left of Iran's nuclear program and missile-making capacity?—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Yet, because of the loophole in the Citizens United ruling, foreign investors can now subvert that federal law through multinational corporations.—
Michael Gianaris,
New York Daily News,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Gourault often subverts the extractivist logic of new media technologies and employs open-source investigation in the production of his films.—
Farren Fei Yuan,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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His relationship with his Jewish neighbors, the Brodskys, grows closer as Nazi power corrupts France.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
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What follows are some of their stories about the way gambling addictions prey on fandom, the convenience of online sportsbooks, and the masculine culture of competitiveness to corrupt the role of sports in their lives.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Give your plant orchid food or a balanced fertilizer diluted to half strength.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
13 Feb. 2026
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The poetry of Brontë’s language is likewise diluted.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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At one point at the table, Jane ran a fork down the side of Robert's face, leaving red lines, humiliating him.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
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Days after the segment was recorded, Schmitz shot Amedure to death, then confessed to the murder, saying he'd been humiliated on national TV.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Haphazardly propped on the ground with wiring and hardware exposed, the flags appear as symbols debased and emptied after centuries of misuse.—
Rachel Wetzler,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 2026
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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
Verb
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Investors don’t want to inadvertently cheer on weakening job growth that could negatively impact consumer spending and economic growth, hurting stock prices.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
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The National Weather Service says the ridge keeping California dry since last month is beginning to weaken.—
Monica Garske,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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More than 12,000 scrolls were once stored inside this second-century center of learning before a fire destroyed them in 262 CE.—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
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Feeling bored, resentful and trapped by domestic life, Hedda hatches a plan to destroy her husband’s potential career rival, Eilert Lovberg, who happens to be her ex-lover.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bastardize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bastardize. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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