1
as in degrading
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2
as in perverted
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as in debasement
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in corrupting
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
we debase ourselves when we adopt the moral code and behavior of our despised enemies
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in humiliating
to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes
our failure to win a single game completely debased us
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of debasing
Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
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
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
Is Alec Bloom’s seemingly sincere political schmoozing meaningfully different from arts-nonprofit-director Gary Pidgeon debasing himself to coax money from donors?
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
For decades, bartenders have been defaming the Mai Tai, debasing it, making and selling versions of the drink that were childish and incomplex, saccharine and flat.
—Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 13 Sep. 2025
Verb
No one wants to be a jester, debasing oneself for a more powerful person’s amusement.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
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
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
Is Alec Bloom’s seemingly sincere political schmoozing meaningfully different from arts-nonprofit-director Gary Pidgeon debasing himself to coax money from donors?
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
For decades, bartenders have been defaming the Mai Tai, debasing it, making and selling versions of the drink that were childish and incomplex, saccharine and flat.
—Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 13 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debasing
Adjective
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Amnesty International has said that the use of the death penalty under the new measure could violate the right to life and the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, as enshrined in international law.—
Julia Frankel,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
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For Hildegard…women’s maternal bodies were not corrupting and degrading, but strong, nurturing, and creative.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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This creates a jarring effect as the significance of her busy endeavours is sublimated by the perverted impulse to judge her physical form.—
Sophie Monks Kaufman,
IndieWire,
16 Feb. 2026
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Udo Kier is the perverted master of ceremonies in this three-ring circus of deviancy from director Paul Morrissey, which takes Frankenstein’s romantic necrophilia and distills it to its glistening, taboo essence.—
Katie Rife,
Vulture,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Bakri’s face is impassive and exhausted during this casual debasement, his voice low, and his tone deadpan, as though Salim has been forced to do all this a million times before.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
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Investors who are particularly concerned about currency debasement or geopolitical instability — both of which have driven gold's price run in recent years — may also find the physical gold component meaningful.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For Hildegard of Bingen, the German mystic, scientist, composer, and philosopher, women’s maternal bodies were not corrupting and degrading, but strong, nurturing, and creative.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
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In his Phaedrus, Plato attacked reading as corrupting true philosophical dialectic.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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State caseworkers have sent an untold number of elders in their care to a coterie of homes with a history of hurting, ignoring or humiliating their residents, records and anguished families say.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
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These clips often use humor and pop‑culture aesthetics—even LEGO‑style animations—to show Iran’s late supreme leader outsmarting and humiliating his American adversaries.—
Newsweek Editors,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The epitome of narcissism, demeaning and denigrating others upon their deaths (John McCain, Rob Reiner) who’ve displeased him is nothing new, but the Mueller post sinks to a new low.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
30 Mar. 2026
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To emphasize that new technology can’t change bad behavior, Josh mirrors many of the same demeaning and destructive traits of showrunner Paulie G (Lance Barber), the antagonist of Seasons One and Two.—
Jennifer Silverman,
Rolling Stone,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The worker was accused of failing to safeguard confidential patient information, conduct unbecoming of a public employee and other offenses.—
Joe Brandt,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
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Gena brought me back to my childhood faith – in which compromise was unbecoming, transparency was a virtue, humility was required, and belief was daily practiced.—
Lori A Bashian,
FOXNews.com,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
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That power was built up over centuries partly to compensate for the humiliation, subjugation, and grievous bondage of Russia’s history, real and imagined.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
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Then came some chants calling for Mosley to be fired as the game slipped into humiliation territory.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debasing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debasing. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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