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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Photo-Illustration: Wired Staff; Matthias Balk/Getty Images Starting today, Bluesky is rolling out a new verification system, complete with the familiar blue check marks popularized by Twitter.—
Kate Knibbs,
Wired News,
21 Apr. 2025
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Believed to have originated in 15th-century Italy as a card game used by nobility, the original deck was expanded and popularized by 18th-century French occultists; and again later in the 20th century, when modern tarot was born thanks to the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, published in 1909.—
Michaela Trimble,
Vogue,
21 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The result is a stunning look at Black suffering and Black joy, and how a group of people who have been stereotyped as avoiding water actually have a deep and meaningful history with the ocean.—
Outside Online,
Outside Online,
5 Mar. 2025
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Employers assume late-career professionals are more expensive due to the additional experience, and some may stereotype them as less adaptable.—
Caroline Ceniza-Levine,
Forbes.com,
30 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The word timeless can sometimes be overused in fashion, but this is that word in action.—
Libby Page,
Vogue,
4 Apr. 2025
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Side effects can vary based on your overall condition and the specific vitamin or supplement overused.—
Anna Giorgi,
Verywell Health,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
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When a player like McKinstry begins receiving everyday at-bats, there is a risk of that player getting overexposed — too many miles on the Cadillac.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
13 Apr. 2025
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Today’s fashion can sometimes feel overexposed: Fewer looks are being produced, and those that arrive simultaneously online, in editorials and advertising, and on the red carpet tend to garner more attention than anything else.—
Amanda Harlech,
Vogue,
24 Mar. 2025
Verb
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This strategy worked for him for about 10 years—and then began to bore him silly.—
Art Spiegelman,
The Atlantic,
9 Apr. 2025
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The real struggle was getting reacquainted with being bored.—
Andrew Mambo,
NPR,
9 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vulgarize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vulgarize. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
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