debased

[ dih-beyst ]

/ dɪˈbeɪst /

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adjective

lowered in quality, character, or value: Part of the reason for the rise in commodities and oil is the debased dollar.Even in the debased conditions of wartime, people had dreams of a beautiful future.

lowered in rank, dignity, or significance: In the 1800s, many people considered show business to be a debased profession.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of debase.

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

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Origin of debased

debase + -ed²

OTHER WORDS FROM debased

de·bas·ed·ness

[dih-bey-sid-nis, -beyst-], /dɪˈbeɪ sɪd nɪs, -ˈbeɪst-/, nounun·de·based, adjective

Words nearby debased

De Bakey, debanding, debar, debark, debase, debased, debasement, debaser, debatable, debate, debauch

How to use debased in a sentence

Criminals and gangs were thought to be motivated by a debased sense of honor or a simple desire to seize property.
Money and Guns: How We Escape Our Existential Dread|James Poulos|April 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We see the bad with the good, the debased and decadent with the sound and vital.
Obama's Fighting Speech - Part 1|David Frum|January 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And it makes you wonder if journalism has not been so debased that foreign policy has become impossible.
Krauthammer's Libya Intervention|Bernard Avishai|October 19, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The whole world of criticism and reviewing has been debased because the critic now is pressured to perform as part publicist.
Letter to a Young Critic: William Giraldi Defends True Criticism|William Giraldi|September 5, 2012|DAILY BEAST

As for the charge of class warfare, clearly the bar has been lowered and the term debased.
Obama: Rich Need to Pay Up|Zachary Karabell|September 19, 2011|DAILY BEAST
And man hath bowed himself down, and man hath been debased: therefore forgive them not.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
Thou hast sent thy messengers far off, and wast debased even to hell.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
Of course, high-toned infidels do not consider themselves as debased as the natives of India.
Gospel Philosophy|J. H. Ward
The sculpture and frescoes of the period of course exhibited the depraved taste and debased execution of the times.
The Catacombs of Rome|William Henry Withrow
Much of the architecture, however, is debased, indicating the decline and eclipse of art in the fifth or sixth century.
The Catacombs of Rome|William Henry Withrow