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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in degradation
a sinking to a state of low moral standards and behavior
the debasement of professional sports to a shamelessly commercial enterprise
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of debase
Harper's Magazine, 2 July 2024
After the second-longest bout of hyperinflation on record anywhere (with 45 months in hyperinflationary conditions between 2017 and 2021), the government is preparing to further debase the bolivar, the nation’s ailing currency.
—Moisés Naím, Foreign Affairs, 28 Sep. 2021
By that time – perhaps only a decade from now, perhaps longer – the dollar may have been debased so badly that one bitcoin might be priced at $1 trillion or more.
—Dave Birnbaum, Forbes, 24 Nov. 2024
Bitcoin’s edge over gold lies in its unparalleled scarcity and technological attributes—a mix between a tech stock and gold that cannot be debased and can settle globally in minutes.
—Ansel Lindner, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for debase
Verb
Christ reduced to a potato chip, debased and vilified like two thousand years ago.
—Harper's Magazine, 2 July 2024
After the second-longest bout of hyperinflation on record anywhere (with 45 months in hyperinflationary conditions between 2017 and 2021), the government is preparing to further debase the bolivar, the nation’s ailing currency.
—Moisés Naím, Foreign Affairs, 28 Sep. 2021
By that time – perhaps only a decade from now, perhaps longer – the dollar may have been debased so badly that one bitcoin might be priced at $1 trillion or more.
—Dave Birnbaum, Forbes, 24 Nov. 2024
Bitcoin’s edge over gold lies in its unparalleled scarcity and technological attributes—a mix between a tech stock and gold that cannot be debased and can settle globally in minutes.
—Ansel Lindner, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for debase
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debase
Verb
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Israeli forces began military ground operations in Gaza, particularly the Hamas stronghold of Rafah in an effort to degrade the terror group's infrastructure, authorities said Thursday.—
Louis Casiano,
Fox News,
20 Mar. 2025
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And even roofs that are still relatively young may begin to show signs of weakness — the sealant that holds asphalt shingles in place often begins to degrade after a decade and can fail when pummeled with high winds.—
Ron Lieber,
New York Times,
19 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Remember, Trump kicked off his political career by claiming Obama wasn't born here, and reportedly decided to run for president only after Obama humiliated him to his face at the White House Correspondents Dinner in 2011.—
Hannah Parry,
Newsweek,
19 Mar. 2025
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In addition to the City of Hartford and Hartford School Board, the complaint named Tilda Santiago, a special education case manager who allegedly repeatedly bullied and harassed Ortiz by yelling and humiliating the teen in front of other students and teachers.—
David Chiu,
People.com,
17 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Overly broad agent objectives introduce performance degradation, making debugging and optimization significantly more challenging.—
Rick Kelly,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
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Where everything seems more and more about degradation.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
16 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Another artist new to me was Summer Wheat at the Nazarian/Curcio booth whose paintings subvert traditional representation of women and look like textiles but is actually paint applied through a rigorous process.—
Tom Teicholz,
Forbes,
14 Mar. 2025
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In the past decade, some liberals and progressives have ignored or even worked to subvert free-speech norms, a matter that has been extensively covered in the press.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
The New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2025
Verb
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President Trump on Tuesday escalated his campaign to discredit judges who get in his way, calling on Congress to impeach the judge at the center of a legal fight over the deportation of hundreds of immigrants to El Salvador.—
Brian Bennett,
TIME,
18 Mar. 2025
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More often than not these spins have one end goal: to dismiss or discredit someone or something.—
Lucy Dolan-Zalaznick,
Vogue,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
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But Bondi is also overseeing cuts within her building, including to the Public Integrity Section that takes on corruption cases against public officials, according to multiple media reports and confirmed by a former Justice Department official.—
David Catanese,
Miami Herald,
14 Mar. 2025
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Compassionate Release of Nick Bovis Nick Bovis, a former San Francisco restaurateur, pleaded guilty to Honest Services and Insurance Wire Fraud in a political corruption case.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Signing Verdugo now would give the Yankees one less option to fill the Stanton void and weaken their lineup even more.—
Faisal Kutty,
Newsweek,
11 Mar. 2025
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In an all-staff e-mail, Dudek wrote: Criticism, contempt, stonewalling, and defensiveness are the four forces that can end any relationship and weaken any institution. . .—
E. Tammy Kim,
The New Yorker,
11 Mar. 2025
Verb
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This is the record business of half a century ago; demeaning slurs are tossed around.—
Ian Frazier,
The New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2025
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He is wearied but stays firm in the notion that his job isn’t to badger and demean the half of the country that disagrees with him.—
Ismail Muhammad,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Debase.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debase. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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