as in to degrade
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 debauch
The dark comedy follows a wealthy socialite, Stacy (Cherry), and a struggling writer, Becky (Chalotra), who are brought together at a lavish, debauched New York party.
—
Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2025
The atmosphere, at once debauched and sombre, felt like a wake, one attendee said.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025
But as commercialization took hold, the event metastasized into a pit of hard drugs, drunkenness, and debauch a world apart from its bohemian origins.
—Charlie Campbell, TIME, 17 Mar. 2025
In season two, when Mike White’s series decamped to Sicily, the credits riffed on Italian frescoes that got increasingly debauched — with a beat drop from opera to EDM.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2025
Life is debauched and consistent, until that handsome twentysomething gent wanders into Lee’s favorite watering hole.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 27 Nov. 2024
Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2025
The atmosphere, at once debauched and sombre, felt like a wake, one attendee said.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025
But as commercialization took hold, the event metastasized into a pit of hard drugs, drunkenness, and debauch a world apart from its bohemian origins.
—Charlie Campbell, TIME, 17 Mar. 2025
In season two, when Mike White’s series decamped to Sicily, the credits riffed on Italian frescoes that got increasingly debauched — with a beat drop from opera to EDM.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2025
Life is debauched and consistent, until that handsome twentysomething gent wanders into Lee’s favorite watering hole.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 27 Nov. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debauch
Verb
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These gaps are weak spots that can spread inward, causing the crystal structure to degrade and ultimately reduce the cell’s efficiency.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
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The issue has intensified in recent years and is only set to get worse, as the relentless expansion of urban centres brings artificial light further into the countryside, permeating and degrading our view of the heavens.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But now, federal prosecutors say Hennen is the fixer behind the biggest point-shaving scandal in history, accused of bribing 39 college players, corrupting 17 programs and fixing — or trying fix — 29 games to enrich himself and other gamblers.—
Andy Sheehan,
CBS News,
26 Jan. 2026
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Tracy Anderson believes most people today have had their attention spans hijacked by social media and their perception of beauty corrupted by trends.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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To an extent Amorim was handed a chalice which has felt forever poisoned.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
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Each bloom produces exponentially growing waves of cyanotoxins that can poison and even kill nearby aquatic organisms.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
29 Jan. 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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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
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During the flight, she’s thoroughly humiliated when someone finds her audition tape for Survivor and displays it on his laptop for all to enjoy.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The finance minister’s comments come after Takaichi sent a fresh warning on Sunday that the government will be ready to take action amid a weakening yen and surging bond yields.—
Mia Glass,
Bloomberg,
28 Jan. 2026
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Over the past day, the trough that was keeping the storm track far away from us here has weakened, allowing the track to be closer to us.—
Ron Smiley,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Murry corrupted and perverted and destroyed Katherine both as a person and a writer […] Her gifts were those of an intense realist, with a superb sense of ironic humour and fundamental cynicism.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Dec. 2025
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This week’s dismissal of the ludicrous federal indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James were signs that justice still prevails, despite Trump’s constant attempts to pervert it.—
Chris Brennan,
USA Today,
27 Nov. 2025
Verb
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His ability to play with genre in the most unexpected way shines through in this gripping story which expertly subverts your expectations in the most thrilling and surprising way.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
29 Jan. 2026
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Tariffs, conquests; all are subverted to this man’s ego.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debauch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debauch. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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