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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
Placing the wrong items in the recycling bin can damage recycling equipment or degrade the recycling process.—
Nafeesah Allen,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 May 2025
-
Trump stated that the Houthis requested the ceasefire after his administration had successfully degraded the group's capabilities.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 May 2025
Verb
-
Led by Dark Samus, the Space Pirates corrupt the planet Norion and then go on to knock out the bounty hunters using a Phazon Beam.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
1 May 2025
-
Over time, suppressing empathy can become a habit and create a state of apathy in a person that corrupts their moral sentiments.—
Ross Overline,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Patterson has repeatedly denied deliberately poisoning her guests.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
2 May 2025
-
But when threatening messages start popping up on Violet’s phone, an unseen enemy, lurking nearby, pushes her to poison her date.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
30 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
This is what distinguishes bitcoin from every other modern financial asset – like gold, it cannot be debased by fiat or easily censored.—
Dave Birnbaum,
Forbes,
13 Jan. 2025
-
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
Verb
-
In a display of brute aggression, cartel operatives humiliated Mexican officials by forcing the government to release Mr. Guzmán López shortly after he was captured.—
Alan Feuer,
New York Times,
7 May 2025
-
But in Trump’s White House, the goal may be simpler—and harder: not getting humiliated.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
5 May 2025
Verb
-
Others may develop it after pregnancy, as the muscles and ligaments around the uterus can loosen or weaken.—
Brandi Jones,
Health,
10 May 2025
-
This weakens their ability to tailor experiences and erodes marketing efficiency.—
Amit Jhawar,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
Verb
-
The only conspiracy is what Bove and Bondi are engaged in, perverting a prosecution for their political gain.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
26 Mar. 2025
-
Andrew faces charges of obstructing a coroner in the execution of his or her duty, as well as doing an act tending and intended to pervert the course of public justice.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
People.com,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
This opens the door to whole new fields of enterprise, ethical and criminal, involving influencing the actions of—or simply subverting—AI agents.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
12 May 2025
-
The Incoherent Case for Tariffs Trump’s fixation on economic coercion will subvert his economic goals.—
Antony J. Blinken,
Foreign Affairs,
6 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Debauch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debauch. Accessed 19 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share