debase

verb

de·​base di-ˈbās 

dē-

debased; debasing; debases

transitive verb

1

: to lower in status, esteem, quality, or character

debased himself by lying to his supporters

… a constitutional amendment that would allow Congress to outlaw debasing the American flag.

—Time

This is not to say that you should be prepared to debase camping standards.

—The Scout Leader's Handbook

2

a

: to reduce the intrinsic value of (a coin) by increasing the base-metal content

b

: to reduce the exchange value of (a monetary unit)

debasement

di-ˈbās-mənt 

dē-

noun

debaser

di-ˈbā-sər 

dē-

noun

Did you know?

Debase is often used to talk about someone's lowered status or character. People are constantly blustering about the debased tastes of the ordinary American, and especially the debased music of America's youth. A commentator might observe that both candidates had managed to debase themselves by the end of a political campaign. Debase has a special meaning in economics: From time to time, governments find that they need to quietly debase their countries' currency by reducing the percentage of valuable metal in its coins; if they don't, the metal may become more valuable than the coin and people will begin melting the coins down and reselling the metal.

Synonyms

• abase
• bastardize
• canker
• cheapen
• corrupt
• debauch
• degrade
• demean
• demoralize
• deprave
• deteriorate
• lessen
• pervert
• poison
• profane
• prostitute
• subvert
• vitiate
• warp

Choose the Right Synonym for debase

debase, vitiate, deprave, corrupt, debauch, pervert mean to cause deterioration or lowering in quality or character.

debase implies a loss of position, worth, value, or dignity.

commercialism has debased the holiday

vitiate implies a destruction of purity, validity, or effectiveness by allowing entrance of a fault or defect.

a foreign policy vitiated by partisanship

deprave implies moral deterioration by evil thoughts or influences.

the claim that society is depraved by pornography

corrupt implies loss of soundness, purity, or integrity.

the belief that bureaucratese corrupts the language

debauch implies a debasing through sensual indulgence.

the long stay on a tropical isle had debauched the ship's crew

pervert implies a twisting or distorting from what is natural or normal.

perverted the original goals of the institute

Examples of debase in a Sentence

The governor debased himself by lying to the public.

The holiday has been debased by commercialism.

Recent Examples on the Web

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

Only by allowing himself to be debased can this man actually come to understand God. —Kevin Lincoln, Vulture, 20 Jan. 2025

The sense of disharmony is immediate: a familiar scene of youth and learning is grimly debased into one of peril. —Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2025

Mubarak and his successors may have debased Egypt’s power and influence, but Egyptian words still carry weight in the region. —Steven A. Cook, Foreign Affairs, 17 Oct. 2016

Word History

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

debase

verb

de·​base di-ˈbās 

debased; debasing

: to lower in character, dignity, quality, or value

debasement

-mənt 

noun

debaser noun