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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Caesarstone, a company founded on a kibbutz in the late 1980s, helped popularize quartz countertops globally.—
Dr. Céline Gounder,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2026
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Those dishes—and the loving way that 82 Queen prepares them—helped popularize and define Lowcountry cuisine, which uniquely blends the African, French, Caribbean, and Anglo-Saxon influences that have shaped the area.—
Chelsea Brasted,
Southern Living,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Embroidery and quilting hobbies once stereotyped as old-fashioned are booming, especially among younger generations.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
4 Mar. 2026
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Kelly Enders-Tharp, a three-time surrogate and education and experience specialist at Growing Generations, explains that surrogates are often stereotyped, or that their backgrounds are misrepresented.—
Kris Ann Valdez,
Parents,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Dallas’ blue line has more depth in terms of numbers, but its top three producers have been overused.—
Lia Assimakopoulos,
Dallas Morning News,
1 Mar. 2026
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Where younger adults tend to become isolated after overusing smartphones, older adults tend to turn to phones after cognitive declines or being isolated from family and friends.—
Emily Kwong,
NPR,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
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Many people damage their nails by picking at their cuticles, for example, or drying them out by overexposing them to water.—
Andee Tagle,
NPR,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Amaze your kids by showing them what giants used to call Fremont home, long before boring-by-comparison coyotes and raccoons.—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
18 Mar. 2026
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The installation of the lift station would involve boring underneath I-94.—
Jim Woods,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vulgarize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vulgarize. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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