Pick the formal, serious, deeply negative word "debase" when you want to say that someone is behaving impurely or dishonorably, dragging down some pure or honorable thing or person in the process, maybe even themselves.

Talk about people and their actions that debase anything that ought to be treated as pure, honorable, or dignified. "He debased the language itself." "She's debasing that whole culture." "Filming advertisements on the White House lawn? That debases the role of the executive branch." "They debased this tradition, turning it into a joke." You could complain that people are debasing an entire philosophy, science, way of life, or an art form, such as film or dance.

Less commonly, we talk about people debasing themselves. (We more commonly talk about people abasing themselves.) Here's the New York Times: "[The TV show Labor Games] is a spectacle every episode as audience members, most of them wearing ridiculous costumes, debase themselves shamelessly for the chance to win prizes." 

"He says the language is dying. He thinks words are being debased. So he tries to speak entirely in weird words and irony, so no one can simplify anything he says." 
 — M. T. Anderson, Feed, 20027

"When other entrepreneurs created jukeboxes by arranging for a phonograph to play popular music at the drop of a coin, Edison objected to this debasement, which apparently detracted from serious office use of his invention."
   — Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel, 1997

has this page helped you understand "debase"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this term, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "debase" without saying "degrade" or "corrupt."

try it out:

In The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin wrote:

"If one is permitted to treat any group of people with special disfavor because of their race or the color of their skin, there is no limit to what one will force them to endure, and, since the entire race has been mysteriously indicted, no reason not to attempt to destroy it root and branch.... It is so simple a fact and one that is so hard, apparently, to grasp: Whoever debases others is debasing himself."

Could you talk about what he means? How do we debase ourselves by debasing other groups of people?

If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.)

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for April: Word Choice Chuckles!

I'll give you a snippet of text that I spotted in the wild, with a word or phrase removed. See if you can fill one in that'll give the reader a chuckle. (Here are some examples.) Be cheesy. Be punny. Get in there and make me proud.

Try this one today:

"Stretch limos say '_____'" 
 — Jacob Cohen and Juliet Bennett Rylah, The Hustle, 4 May 2023

Meaning of the missing phrase: "goodbye."

To see one possible answer, scroll all the way down.

review this word:

1. The opposite of DEBASE could be

A. EXALT: to lift things or people up to a higher level of power, respect, or dignity.
B. EXHORT: to strongly encourage or strongly recommend that people do certain things.
C. EXORCISE: to drive things or people away or banish them, often with powerful words.

2. Tilden Russell wrote in a letter to the editor of the New York Times that "Siskel and Ebert and the genre of movie review they _____ debased film and _____ its mass audience."

A. fathered .. edified
B. spawned .. cheated
C. concocted .. entertained

Answers to the review questions: 1. A 2. B From the game: "Stretch limos say 'So long'"   — Jacob Cohen and Juliet Bennett Rylah, The Hustle, 4 May 2023

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.