as in to degrade
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
the long stay on a tropical isle had debauched the ship's crew to the point where they no longer acted like naval professionals
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Recent Examples of debauch
In season two, when Mike White’s series decamped to Sicily, the credits riffed on Italian frescoes that got increasingly debauched — with a beat drop from opera to EDM.
—
Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2025
Life is debauched and consistent, until that handsome twentysomething gent wanders into Lee’s favorite watering hole.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 27 Nov. 2024
That doesn’t seem especially forbidden or debauched.
—Chris Klimek, Vulture, 17 July 2024
Instead, Mixtape Pluto is subterranean and nocturnal, hedonistic one minute and aching with regrets the next, debauched but wounded.
—Christopher R. Weingarten, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2024
On the evidence of this savage industry satire, the experience was souring, dehumanizing and debauching.
—Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Snook plays not just the eternally young but damnably debauched Dorian Gray, but every one of the 26 parts in two unbroken hours of ceaselessly kinetic, highly choreographed, tech-heavy action.
—Demetrios Matheou, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
As debauched and dirty as our film is, it’s still done so intentionally and tastefully.
—Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 6 July 2023
That voice — languid, searching, slightly debauched — was once the centerpiece of a complete and holistic text.
—James Robins, Vulture, 1 May 2023
Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2025
Life is debauched and consistent, until that handsome twentysomething gent wanders into Lee’s favorite watering hole.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 27 Nov. 2024
That doesn’t seem especially forbidden or debauched.
—Chris Klimek, Vulture, 17 July 2024
Instead, Mixtape Pluto is subterranean and nocturnal, hedonistic one minute and aching with regrets the next, debauched but wounded.
—Christopher R. Weingarten, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2024
On the evidence of this savage industry satire, the experience was souring, dehumanizing and debauching.
—Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Snook plays not just the eternally young but damnably debauched Dorian Gray, but every one of the 26 parts in two unbroken hours of ceaselessly kinetic, highly choreographed, tech-heavy action.
—Demetrios Matheou, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
As debauched and dirty as our film is, it’s still done so intentionally and tastefully.
—Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 6 July 2023
That voice — languid, searching, slightly debauched — was once the centerpiece of a complete and holistic text.
—James Robins, Vulture, 1 May 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debauch
Verb
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Most microplastics are made on land, where larger plastic debris degrades into tinier and tinier pieces.—
Sam Walters,
Discover Magazine,
7 Mar. 2025
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The other reason is that our news ecosystem is rapidly degrading, particularly online.—
Jeffrey Blehar,
National Review,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
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It has been corrupted over time into something like a generalized celebration of Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and the other 43 highly varied men who preceded them in holding the nation’s highest office.—
The Editors,
National Review,
17 Feb. 2025
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If green ever corrupted itself with red, both would end up the same brown mud.—
Jackson Arn,
The New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Sergio Pino’s attorney Deanna Shifrin denied the poisoning allegations, pointing to comments Tatiana made in a December 2023 deposition stating that no healthcare provider had concluded she had been poisoned.—
Douglas Hanks,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2025
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Today sends a message to every cartel leader, every trafficker, every criminal poisoning our communities: You will be held accountable.—
Polo Sandoval,
CNN,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
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His illuminating backstage account of cable news describes thoughtful journalists debasing themselves in their scramble to retain straying viewers.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
The New Yorker,
20 Jan. 2025
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Only by allowing himself to be debased can this man actually come to understand God.—
Kevin Lincoln,
Vulture,
20 Jan. 2025
Verb
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No, Trump Did Not ‘Bring Back Free Speech’ An August 2024 report by Columbia’s task force on antisemitism found that Jews and Israelis at Columbia were often ostracized and humiliated on campus.—
Solcyré Burga,
TIME,
7 Mar. 2025
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Committee Chairman James Comer will use the hearing to humiliate blue-city mayors and to please the White House and fire up his extremist MAGA base.—
Peter Cunningham,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
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But the Trump administration's new cuts further weaken a banking watchdog that has been sounding the alarm for years about its decreasing ability to prevent future banking crises.—
Maria Aspan,
NPR,
27 Feb. 2025
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In the fourth quarter of 2024, WK Kellogg reported net sales of $640 million, a decrease of 1.7% compared to $651 million in the same period in 2023, impacted by a 5.6% volume decline and a 40 basis point headwind from the weakening Canadian dollar.—
Joe Cornell,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
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In the 1980s the game was engulfed in the Satanic panic, attracting accusations of perverting youth with witchcraft.—
Eric Francisco,
Rolling Stone,
1 Mar. 2025
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What looks like an identity crisis is actually Chiara’s pursuit of her spiritual foundation — the search that con artist TV shows like Henry Louis Gates’s Finding Your Roots has perverted into political correctness — social-justice equity for the rich and famous.—
Armond White,
National Review,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
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What starts as a series that aims to subvert the heist genre at every turn, amped with thrilling life-or-death stakes, family dynamics and explosive action, actually gives birth to an exploration of what drives us, sustains us, and ultimately destroys us.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
5 Mar. 2025
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Second, Trump has been able to subvert our system of checks and balances because so many, including congressional Republicans, fear his retribution.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Debauch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debauch. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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