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
The atmosphere, at once debauched and sombre, felt like a wake, one attendee said.
—
Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025
But as commercialization took hold, the event metastasized into a pit of hard drugs, drunkenness, and debauch a world apart from its bohemian origins.
—Charlie Campbell, TIME, 17 Mar. 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
But as commercialization took hold, the event metastasized into a pit of hard drugs, drunkenness, and debauch a world apart from its bohemian origins.
—Charlie Campbell, TIME, 17 Mar. 2025
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
Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025
But as commercialization took hold, the event metastasized into a pit of hard drugs, drunkenness, and debauch a world apart from its bohemian origins.
—Charlie Campbell, TIME, 17 Mar. 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
But as commercialization took hold, the event metastasized into a pit of hard drugs, drunkenness, and debauch a world apart from its bohemian origins.
—Charlie Campbell, TIME, 17 Mar. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debauch
Verb
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Meanwhile, Erebus is at risk of degrading due to strong currents.—
Meilan Solly,
Smithsonian Magazine,
19 May 2025
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Plus, this rash guard’s fabric blocks 98% of UVA and UVB rays, though keep in mind that frequent laundering will degrade the UV-blocking ability over time.5 In general, it’s recommended that UPF clothing be replaced after 40-50 washes.—
Laura Lu,
Parents,
19 May 2025
Verb
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Absolute power may corrupt absolutely, but absolute wealth can separate the wealthy from reality.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
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We were told that he was just morally corrupted by the White House, by Democrats in Congress.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 May 2025
Verb
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As the film unfolds, Wilson finds out that Sterns, the movie's villain, has been the mastermind behind the entire plot and has been poisoning Ross with gamma rays via pills for years.—
Caroline Blair,
People.com,
28 May 2025
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Intermediately, because a member of Ethan’s team, Claire (Emmanuelle Béart) has poisoned Donloe, which results in Donloe having some pretty intense gastrointestinal reactions.—
Mike Ryan,
IndieWire,
27 May 2025
Verb
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At its most depraved level, this is get-rich-quick music; these artist-grifters are like sycophantic workers debasing themselves for the Big Boss Algorithm.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
21 May 2025
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The site just becomes a generically unpleasant way of showing Mike debasing himself to meet the escalating prices.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The writer-director’s smartest move is never to deny Colin his dignity, even when he’s humiliated for disappointing Ray or getting vigorously plowed on a table.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
18 May 2025
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But who among us has not had a little marital spat over one person buying an entire hospital just to humiliate the other?—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
16 May 2025
Verb
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In Colorado, for example, several AI companies recently lobbied to delay and weaken the state’s landmark AI accountability legislation — a preview of what unchecked industry influence could look like under a regulatory freeze.—
Anisha Sircar,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2025
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This includes adults who have weakened immune systems, cancer or other underlying health conditions, and some mental health conditions.—
Claire Bugos,
Verywell Health,
21 May 2025
Verb
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In his eyes, a Jew who fails to share that outlook becomes the monster of traditional antisemitic lore: something perverted from its essential nature.—
Robert Helfand,
Hartford Courant,
21 May 2025
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The rule of law has been invoked and perverted in a concerted effort to undermine it.—
Mark A. Cohen,
Forbes.com,
12 May 2025
Verb
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The chancellor’s attempt to seek your commission’s forgiveness years after deliberately avoiding your timely permission reads now like a cagey campaign to dodge his duties as steward of our knoll and subvert the relevant rule of law.—
Letters To The Editor,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 May 2025
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Television ‘The Last of Us’ director on Ellie and Dina’s relationship: ‘This is not just a crush’ May 4, 2025 The stakes in Season 1 were very clear — get Ellie to where she can be used to make a cure — even if they were subverted in the end.—
Mary McNamara,
Los Angeles Times,
26 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Debauch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debauch. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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