as in degraded
having or showing lowered moral character or standards
a book that examines the debased character of the criminal mind
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in corrupted
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
we debase ourselves when we adopt the moral code and behavior of our despised enemies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in humiliated
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of debased
Zadie Smith, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
But in recent years, acts of brazen violence have been the grim drumbeat of a debased national politics.
—Eric Cortellessa, Time, 11 Sep. 2025
Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Only the first is still fashionable, and the last has been so debased, misused, and weaponized over the centuries as to be almost unspeakable in polite company.
—Zadie Smith, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
But in recent years, acts of brazen violence have been the grim drumbeat of a debased national politics.
—Eric Cortellessa, Time, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debased
Adjective
-
Under her leadership, the NYBG’s research team has expanded to 81 projects across 79 countries to conserve disappearing plant species, restore degraded ecosystems, and breed crops to withstand drought, sea level rise and extreme heat under climate change.—
Eduardo Garcia,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Smoke will also lead to degraded air quality.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The last generation of revolutionaries was corrupted by the system.—
Kapil Komireddi,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
-
The baffling Windows 11 update bug that corrupted SSDs now appears to be linked to storage drives running pre-release firmware.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
France had been humiliated in 1871 by Prussia in a foolish war of its own making, and Dreyfus, accused of passing military secrets to the Germans, was a convenient scapegoat in a time of national malaise.—
Ian Buruma,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
-
Leno later said he felt humiliated by Kimmel’s jibe.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Our institutions are failing us — either corrupt or underfunded, gutted and useless — and we’re absorbed with stories of characters that manage to save themselves, and on their own terms.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
28 Sep. 2025
-
That failure was on corrupt leadership.—
Emma Marsden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Humberto weakened slightly to a high-end Category 4 hurricane Sunday morning.—
Chris Dolce,
CNN Money,
28 Sep. 2025
-
So while the law still technically exists in Texas, its enforcement has been weakened.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But many climate scientists have discredited this argument, saying that freezing events can take place even amid climate change—but as time goes on, those cold events will happen less often and won’t last as long.—
Chantelle Lee,
Time,
23 Sep. 2025
-
The study was later discredited and retracted but doubts about the MMR vaccine have persisted.—
Stephanie Innes,
AZCentral.com,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Today’s over-85 cohort may also be frailer and sicker than the oldest-old were 30 years ago, Gill added, because contemporary medicine can keep people alive longer.—
Paula Span,
Miami Herald,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Officials don't recommend consuming any meat from animals that are visibly sick, but healthy deer harvested from areas where EHD has been present are still safe to eat, the DNR says.—
Jalen Williams,
Freep.com,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The real fiends were the ones who perverted science, who attacked this misunderstood giant out of fear, who branded him as something unholy and unworthy to exist, who gave him life but didn’t give him love.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
9 Sep. 2025
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Instead, the concept has been perverted to mean higher-ed grandees' exclusive right to determine who participates in scholarly life.—
Ilya Shapiro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Debased.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debased. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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