1
as in to degrade
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 to humiliate
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of debase
Dogville, from 2003, is an experimental Lars von Trier film shot on a stage set in which Kidman plays a woman debased and abused by the inhabitants of a small town.
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Wendell Steavenson, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2025
Freddy Krueger debases the suburban American ideal through the dreams of teenagers in Nightmare on Elm Street.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 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
Unlike bonds, which promise repayment of the primary investment at a future date, warranting demands for higher yields to offset inflation concerns, gold is a physical asset that cannot be debased by fiscal mismanagement or political interference.
—Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debase
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debase
Verb
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His mother previously told the Observer that his mental health degraded in the COVID-19 pandemic.—
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The information ecosystem is degrading more each moment.—
Verb
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And videotaping it to humiliate them.—
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She had never been arrested before and felt humiliated when her mugshot was plastered all over the news after her arrest.—
Verb
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By subverting trust and building paranoia to screeching highs, The Thing exploits some of humanity's worst traits.—
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The directors spent over eight years tracking Shahverdi’s efforts to subvert economic systems and transform local attitudes.—
Verb
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In this case, focusing on a dress versus the altruistic work Turner is doing feels like an attempt to discredit that very noble work.—
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Continue reading … ‘COMPLETELY FAILED’ – CNN mocked for ‘effort to discredit’ Minnesota daycare fraud reporting.—
Verb
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Evergreen branches bent under the weight of snow are already weakened; sweeping down the length of the branch toward the ground adds to the stress and increases the potential for breakage.—
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These policies impose devastating costs on American citizens, weakening our economy, increasing the national debt, straining public budgets and tearing families apart.—
Verb
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There is so much energy in Falk’s writing that the reader can feel tensions in the city as officials, some working secretly with the bosses, try to stop the cigar factory women from organizing, call them Communists and demean them for being Polish.—
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Most frustratingly, the secret traitor demeans us, the audience.—
Verb
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And along the way enrich himself and partner with some of the world's most dangerous and violent drug traffickers and corrupting his country.—
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Trump has thoroughly corrupted the Justice Department, but its selective prosecutions of his foes have been thwarted by judges and, more strikingly, by grand juries.—
Verb
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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.—
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The atmosphere, at once debauched and sombre, felt like a wake, one attendee said.—
Cite this Entry
“Debase.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debase. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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