debasing 1 of 3

adjective

Definition of debasingnext
1
as in degrading

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2
as in perverted

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debasing

2 of 3

noun

as in debasement

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debasing

3 of 3

verb

present participle of debase
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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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for debasing
  1. degrading
  2. perverted
  3. demeaning
  4. unbecoming
  5. discrediting
  6. humiliating
  7. profane
  8. degradation
Adjective
  • That smell of vinegar is not just an alarm bell that these objects are destroying themselves but that the degrading polymer is taking down innocent bystanders as well.
    Sarah Everts, Scientific American, 1 Apr. 2016
  • More than 2 million people in the U.S. lack indoor plumbing and more live with failing sewage systems that can result in waste backing up into homes or pooling on the ground, threatening public health and degrading basic dignity, the EPA said.
    San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Feb. 2024
Definition of degrading
Adjective
  • But, even at its most perverted, Shadow of the Erdtree handles motherhood like nuclear energy.
    Ashley Bardhan, Vulture, 5 July 2024
  • Otherwise, things can get dicey, spending all day filming bloodied bodies posed in perverted Biblical poses.
    William Earl, Variety, 26 Sep. 2024
Definition of perverted
Adjective
  • Many of the jobs available to young and inexperienced workers are entry-level roles in the retail, restaurant and service industries, and these jobs are often talked about in a demeaning way.
    Brandon Busteed, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024
  • Residents suddenly realized that Trump’s demeaning rhetoric about Haitian and Venezuelan immigrants could extend to them.
    Julia Preston, The New Yorker, 30 Nov. 2024
Definition of demeaning
Adjective
  • There is no denying that Donald Trump has engaged in behavior that is unacceptable and unbecoming of any leader — let alone a president of the United States.
    Maggie Astor, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Sep. 2023
  • To have lived through an encompassing albeit unbecoming love and have survived it with all the parts of herself intact feels like a triumph.
    Vulture, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2022
Definition of unbecoming
Verb
  • Many of the conspiracy theories have prompted FEMA to create a page on its site discrediting rumors and false information about its response to Hurricane Helene.
    Nicole Sganga, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2024
  • Still, the United States didn’t recognize Haiti as a nation until 1862, during the Civil War, when American leadership was looking for any support in discrediting slavery.
    Chadd Scott, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024
Definition of discrediting
Adjective
  • Trump must now choose between accepting a humiliating strategic defeat on the global stage and immediately redoubling American support for Ukraine while there’s still time.
    Robert Kagan, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2025
  • Just minutes after the Dolphins suffered a rather humiliating 32-20 loss to the New York Jets, Tyreek Hill was asked about his message to the team in the offseason.
    C. Isaiah Smalls II, Miami Herald, 6 Jan. 2025
Definition of humiliating
Adjective
  • Buster the yellow Lab is a thicc fella who can stop, but will not stop, gleefully belly flopping into his swimming pool despite the increasingly helpless and desperately profane protestations of his mother.
    Julie Klausner, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
  • Fox News Digital obtained shocking audio between Cyrus and his estranged wife where the country crooner is heard berating his Australian ex and using profane language.
    Ashley Hume, Fox News, 26 Dec. 2024
Definition of profane
Noun
  • Refrigeration can slow down the degradation of certain products, keeping them good-to-use just a little bit longer.
    Rabekah Henderson, Southern Living, 29 Dec. 2024
  • Despite the degradation caused by the passage of time and human activity, investigations enabled the identification of the ship's type, dimensions, construction method, the most likely construction date and remnants of its cargo.
    Newsweek, Newsweek, 25 Dec. 2024
Definition of degradation
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near debasing

debases

debasing

debatable

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Cite this Entry

“Debasing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debasing. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

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More from Merriam-Webster on debasing

Nglish: Translation of debasing for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of debasing for Arabic Speakers

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