debasement

American  

[dih-beys-muhnt] / dɪˈbeɪs mənt /

noun

1. the act of reducing the quality or value of something.

   The moment any paper currency is firmly linked back to gold, the debasement of paper money stops.

2. the fact or state of being lowered in dignity, character, or importance.

   Rich and greedy, he chose debasement, disgrace, and dishonorable practices in order to get even richer.

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Other Word Forms

• self-debasement
  noun

Etymology

Origin of debasement

debase ( def. ) + -ment ( def. )

Explanation

Debasement is the process of spoiling something or reducing its value by combining it with another material. Debasement can also refer to degrading or disgracing someone. The noun debasement can be used in an economic context to mean "lower the value of currency or money," usually referring to coins made of gold or silver that has been mixed with cheaper metals. In the old days, debasement generally meant the removal of someone's knighthood: "The knight's treasonous actions meant certain debasement by the king." Today you might hear someone complain about the debasement of politics caused by big money.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

debasement

“We were rightly skeptical about this so-called Sell America trade. As tariff concerns eased and recession fears abated, the debasement narrative lost momentum,” Ed Yardeni, president of Yardeni Research, said in commentary shared with MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 28, 2026

It was less than a year ago, of course, when Bitcoin topped $126,000 amid its long two-year rally that powered the digital currency some 350% higher as investors bet on a dollar debasement trade.

From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026

Meanwhile, the Fed’s hawkish stance “appears to have derailed the debasement trade, where assets such as gold were favored over currencies vulnerable to inflation, fiscal and monetary excess.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

The so-called debasement trade has fallen out of favor as both a discussion point and an investment concept.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026

When other entrepreneurs created jukeboxes by arranging for a phonograph to play popular music at the drop of a coin, Edison objected to this debasement, which apparently detracted from serious office use of his invention.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond