as in to degrade
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
the long stay on a tropical isle had debauched the ship's crew to the point where they no longer acted like naval professionals
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Recent Examples of debauch
In season two, when Mike White’s series decamped to Sicily, the credits riffed on Italian frescoes that got increasingly debauched — with a beat drop from opera to EDM.
—
Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2025
Life is debauched and consistent, until that handsome twentysomething gent wanders into Lee’s favorite watering hole.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 27 Nov. 2024
That doesn’t seem especially forbidden or debauched.
—Chris Klimek, Vulture, 17 July 2024
Instead, Mixtape Pluto is subterranean and nocturnal, hedonistic one minute and aching with regrets the next, debauched but wounded.
—Christopher R. Weingarten, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2024
On the evidence of this savage industry satire, the experience was souring, dehumanizing and debauching.
—Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Snook plays not just the eternally young but damnably debauched Dorian Gray, but every one of the 26 parts in two unbroken hours of ceaselessly kinetic, highly choreographed, tech-heavy action.
—Demetrios Matheou, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
As debauched and dirty as our film is, it’s still done so intentionally and tastefully.
—Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 6 July 2023
That voice — languid, searching, slightly debauched — was once the centerpiece of a complete and holistic text.
—James Robins, Vulture, 1 May 2023
Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2025
Life is debauched and consistent, until that handsome twentysomething gent wanders into Lee’s favorite watering hole.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 27 Nov. 2024
That doesn’t seem especially forbidden or debauched.
—Chris Klimek, Vulture, 17 July 2024
Instead, Mixtape Pluto is subterranean and nocturnal, hedonistic one minute and aching with regrets the next, debauched but wounded.
—Christopher R. Weingarten, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2024
On the evidence of this savage industry satire, the experience was souring, dehumanizing and debauching.
—Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Snook plays not just the eternally young but damnably debauched Dorian Gray, but every one of the 26 parts in two unbroken hours of ceaselessly kinetic, highly choreographed, tech-heavy action.
—Demetrios Matheou, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
As debauched and dirty as our film is, it’s still done so intentionally and tastefully.
—Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 6 July 2023
That voice — languid, searching, slightly debauched — was once the centerpiece of a complete and holistic text.
—James Robins, Vulture, 1 May 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debauch
Verb
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Most microplastics are made on land, where larger plastic debris degrades into tinier and tinier pieces.—
Sam Walters,
Discover Magazine,
7 Mar. 2025
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Globalstar, on the other hand, claims that opening up the 1.6GHz and 2.4GHz bands to other companies risks generating interference with its own satellite systems, potentially degrading the satellite connectivity for iPhones.—
Michael Kan,
PCMAG,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Sensor Noise: Typically measured with signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), this parameter quantifies how much the signal has been corrupted by noise.—
Elizabeth Duffy,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
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Information tends to get lost or corrupted during transitions.—
Tom Rogers,
Newsweek,
22 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Sergio Pino’s attorney Deanna Shifrin denied the poisoning allegations, pointing to comments Tatiana made in a December 2023 deposition stating that no healthcare provider had concluded she had been poisoned.—
Douglas Hanks,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2025
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Today sends a message to every cartel leader, every trafficker, every criminal poisoning our communities: You will be held accountable.—
Polo Sandoval,
CNN,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
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His illuminating backstage account of cable news describes thoughtful journalists debasing themselves in their scramble to retain straying viewers.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
The New Yorker,
20 Jan. 2025
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Only by allowing himself to be debased can this man actually come to understand God.—
Kevin Lincoln,
Vulture,
20 Jan. 2025
Verb
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No, Trump Did Not ‘Bring Back Free Speech’ An August 2024 report by Columbia’s task force on antisemitism found that Jews and Israelis at Columbia were often ostracized and humiliated on campus.—
Solcyré Burga,
TIME,
7 Mar. 2025
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The whole point is to humiliate weaker men – and to subjugate women.—
Robert B. Reich,
Hartford Courant,
4 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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In the 1980s the game was engulfed in the Satanic panic, attracting accusations of perverting youth with witchcraft.—
Eric Francisco,
Rolling Stone,
1 Mar. 2025
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What looks like an identity crisis is actually Chiara’s pursuit of her spiritual foundation — the search that con artist TV shows like Henry Louis Gates’s Finding Your Roots has perverted into political correctness — social-justice equity for the rich and famous.—
Armond White,
National Review,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
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What starts as a series that aims to subvert the heist genre at every turn, amped with thrilling life-or-death stakes, family dynamics and explosive action, actually gives birth to an exploration of what drives us, sustains us, and ultimately destroys us.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
5 Mar. 2025
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Second, Trump has been able to subvert our system of checks and balances because so many, including congressional Republicans, fear his retribution.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Debauch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debauch. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.
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