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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There’s an adjustment period — percale can feel crisp at first — but most people acclimate within a week or two and find cotton softens further with every wash, rather than pilling or degrading like synthetics.—
Allison Palmer,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Apr. 2026
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Most people acclimate within a week or two, and cotton gets softer with every wash rather than pilling or degrading.—
Allison Palmer,
Miami Herald,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But even by its perverted lights, those numbers don’t convey a booming economy screaming for restraint.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
25 Mar. 2026
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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
Noun
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Dollar debasement Emmanuel Cau, head of European equity strategy at Barclays, expects the euro to extend recent gains against the dollar.—
Michael Considine,
CNBC,
21 Apr. 2026
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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
Verb
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An early discussion about social contracts comes down to us in Plato’s dialogue Crito in which Socrates, condemned to death for allegedly corrupting the youth, refused an offer to escape from prison.—
George G. Szpiro,
Big Think,
9 Apr. 2026
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Meanwhile, the Pima County Sheriff Office investigating Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance is facing troubles of its own, as a former sheriff has accused current leadership of ‘corrupting’ the crime scene, and a deputy has been arrested and fired on a kidnapping charge.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 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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Her pictures, which start innocently enough from the puppy-dog idea, get increasingly demeaning.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2026
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Leadership was abusive, inappropriate and demeaning, employees told The Denver Post.—
Sam Tabachnik,
Denver Post,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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These interactions may strike federal prosecutors as unbecoming.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
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Another former aide said that quiet guidance shared among female staffers focused on behavior that is legal, but nevertheless viewed as unprofessional and unbecoming of members of Congress — a line that has prevented many from speaking out publicly.—
Justine McDaniel,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Abusers often employ fear, humiliation and isolation to not only limit one’s movements but to control the outside narrative.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
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Niall, for his part, only comes to hate himself more as gay acceptance goes mainstream, his initial distress over his sexuality compounded by humiliation at being unable to get past that distress.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debasing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debasing. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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