debase

American  

[dih-beys] / dɪˈbeɪs /

verb (used with object)

debased, debasing

1. to reduce in quality or value; adulterate.

   They debased the value of the dollar.

   Synonyms:

   defile, pollute, contaminate, corrupt, vitiate, lower

2. to lower in rank, dignity, or significance.

   He wouldn't debase himself by doing manual labor.

   Synonyms:

   reduce, demean, abase, degrade

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debase British  

/ dɪˈbeɪsɪdnɪs, dɪˈbeɪs /

verb

1. (tr) to lower in quality, character, or value, as by adding cheaper metal to coins; adulterate

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Other Word Forms

• debasedness noun
• debasement noun
• debaser noun
• debasingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of debase

First recorded in 1555–65; de- + base ²; abase

Example Sentences

These stories tell us that Diogenes was chased out of his native Sinope, on the north coast of what’s now Turkey, for his supposed role in a scheme to debase the city’s currency.

From The Wall Street Journal

Yet she knows the history that reduced her to such a debased state.

From Los Angeles Times

Institutions, acting in their own interest, are debasing America’s pool of young, human capital.

From The Wall Street Journal

Argentina has a history of debasing its currency, which is why its people keep billions of dollars in coffee cans, home safes and mattresses.

From The Wall Street Journal

The late Roman Empire undermined its commercial economy through centralization, regulation and debasing the currency.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• cheapen
• demean
• demoralize
• disgrace
• dishonor
• humiliate