as in to degrade
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
bastardize the art form by adapting it to popular taste
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Recent Examples of bastardize
Over the years, though, the cocktail has become bastardized into a sugary drink containing all sorts of fruit juices and sweeteners, causing it to be denegrated alongside the likes of Long Island Ice Teas and Strawberry Daiquiris.
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Tori Latham, Robb Report, 17 Apr. 2023
These white people in blackface entertained the masses with stereotypes of Blackness, bastardizing the Black identity in the process.
—Tayo Bero, refinery29.com, 4 Apr. 2023
Society, this week, also bastardized two wholesome childhood fixtures, SunnyD and Girl Scout Cookies.
—Li Goldstein, Bon Appétit, 10 Mar. 2023
What does a profession license mean if you’re allowed to bastardize the court system that way.
—Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press, 13 Dec. 2020
Videos that bastardize neighborhood names, or cluelessly treat storied establishments like new discoveries.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2022
To bastardize the bands Pablo Cruise or Yes, love will always find a way.
—Outside Online, 13 Feb. 2021
As a carcass decomposes, the bacteria in the body itself runs rampant, producing its signature stink and bastardizing the soil’s microbiome.
—Matt Simon, Wired, 21 Jan. 2020
The initial fear that the band was going to make a killing on wading-pool-deep music and basically bastardize country music was way off-base.
—Chuck Yarborough, cleveland, 8 Jan. 2020
Tori Latham, Robb Report, 17 Apr. 2023
These white people in blackface entertained the masses with stereotypes of Blackness, bastardizing the Black identity in the process.
—Tayo Bero, refinery29.com, 4 Apr. 2023
Society, this week, also bastardized two wholesome childhood fixtures, SunnyD and Girl Scout Cookies.
—Li Goldstein, Bon Appétit, 10 Mar. 2023
What does a profession license mean if you’re allowed to bastardize the court system that way.
—Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press, 13 Dec. 2020
Videos that bastardize neighborhood names, or cluelessly treat storied establishments like new discoveries.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2022
To bastardize the bands Pablo Cruise or Yes, love will always find a way.
—Outside Online, 13 Feb. 2021
As a carcass decomposes, the bacteria in the body itself runs rampant, producing its signature stink and bastardizing the soil’s microbiome.
—Matt Simon, Wired, 21 Jan. 2020
The initial fear that the band was going to make a killing on wading-pool-deep music and basically bastardize country music was way off-base.
—Chuck Yarborough, cleveland, 8 Jan. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bastardize
Verb
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But the morale of his troops had been degraded too significantly for any meaningful change.Mike Brest, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 9 Dec. 2024
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Meanwhile, Hamas has been da- -- badly degraded as well.Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Christmas entertainment can sometimes be criticized for being treacly and cliché, but The Year Without a Santa Claus subverts those stereotypes with its zany characters, who act in the strange, contradictory ways, like real people do.Victoria Edel, People.com, 10 Dec. 2024
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The actress has even subverted expectations with her performances in Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette (2006) and as Emily Dickinson in Wild Nights With Emily (2018).EW.com, EW.com, 7 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Rachel: Yes, this is a film about how absolute power corrupts absolutely and how there is no hope of true justice under late capitalism.Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 12 Nov. 2024
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That includes when a campaign staffer accidentally downloads a malicious file or when a hacker corrupts a key data file.Sam Sabin, Axios, 29 Oct. 2024
Verb
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As the identity of everyone is obvious and the timeline of events is precise, this does not dilute the film’s impact.Richard Kuipers, Variety, 17 Dec. 2024
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These delays repeatedly ceded the initiative to Moscow and diluted the effectiveness of U.S. aid, prolonging the conflict and diminishing Kyiv’s negotiating leverage.Mitch McConnell, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2024
Verb
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To see the reigning English champions humiliated and humbled in such a manner is a very rare event.Tim Spiers, The Athletic, 25 Nov. 2024
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Teeny feels humiliated over the fact that Genevieve left her out of the Sol vote, which is more than understandable.Nick Caruso, TVLine, 20 Nov. 2024
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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In addition, hiring has slowed a bit in recent months, raising the risk that the economy could weaken in the coming months.Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
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Too much water can cause the fibers to weaken, become brittle, and break.Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 11 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Meanwhile, almost 20 American naval vessels and more than 300 airplanes were destroyed or damaged.Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024
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Shacks and buildings were left completely destroyed when the cyclone struck the nation hampered by poverty.Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near bastardize
Cite this Entry
“Bastardize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bastardize. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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