debased
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de·base
(dĭ-bās′)tr.v. de·based, de·bas·ing, de·bas·es
To lower in character, quality, or value; degrade.
de·base′ment n.
de·bas′er n.
Synonyms: debase, degrade, abase, demean2
These verbs mean to lower in character or quality. Debase implies reduction in quality or value: "debasing the moral currency" (George Eliot).
Degrade implies reduction to a state of shame or disgrace: "If I pitied you for crying ... you should spurn such pity.... Rise, and don't degrade yourself into an abject reptile!" (Emily Brontë).
Abase refers principally to loss of rank or prestige: "Meg pardoned him, and Mrs. March's grave face relaxed ... when she heard him declare that he would ... abase himself like a worm before the injured damsel" (Louisa May Alcott).
Demean suggests lowering in social position: "It puts him where he can make the advances without demeaning himself" (William Dean Howells). See Also Synonyms at corrupt.
These verbs mean to lower in character or quality. Debase implies reduction in quality or value: "debasing the moral currency" (George Eliot).
Degrade implies reduction to a state of shame or disgrace: "If I pitied you for crying ... you should spurn such pity.... Rise, and don't degrade yourself into an abject reptile!" (Emily Brontë).
Abase refers principally to loss of rank or prestige: "Meg pardoned him, and Mrs. March's grave face relaxed ... when she heard him declare that he would ... abase himself like a worm before the injured damsel" (Louisa May Alcott).
Demean suggests lowering in social position: "It puts him where he can make the advances without demeaning himself" (William Dean Howells). See Also Synonyms at corrupt.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
debased
(dɪˈbeɪst)adj
(Banking & Finance) (of coins) having cheaper metal added
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
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Adj. | 1. | debased - mixed with impurities impure - combined with extraneous elements |
2. | debased - lowered in value; "the dollar is low"; "a debased currency" low - less than normal in degree or intensity or amount; "low prices"; "the reservoir is low" | |
3. | debased - ruined in character or quality corrupt - lacking in integrity; "humanity they knew to be corrupt...from the day of Adam's creation"; "a corrupt and incompetent city government" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
debased
adjective
1. corrupt, devalued, reduced, lowered, mixed, contaminated, polluted, depreciated, impure, adulterated a debased form of Buddhism
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
debased
[dɪˈbeɪst] adj (= inferior) [standards] → dégradé(e)the debased standards of today's media → le niveau dégradé des médias d'aujourd'hui
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
debased
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007