debase
verb (used with object)
to reduce in quality or value; adulterate.
was debasing
-
past progressiveof debase.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
McFadden, a former investment banker with a law degree from Georgetown, was debasing not only his opponent but also, quite explicitly, himself.
From New York Times ● Oct. 28, 2014
I was debasing myself for minuscule scraps of affection.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 5, 2013
Perhaps she was debasing her talent; this kind of thing was rather a theatrical trick than music.
From Partners of the Out-Trail by Harold Bindloss
Her father had served with distinction and honor this same commonwealth that her husband was debasing; he had been a statesman, not a politician, not a boss.
From A Hoosier Chronicle by F. C. (Frederick Coffay) Yohn
So she stooped to guile and detested the flannel all the more deeply because of the state to which it was debasing an upright conscience and a high sense of honor.
From New Faces by Charles F. Neagle
