bastardizes

verb

present tense third-person singular of bastardize
as in degrades
to lower in character, dignity, or quality bastardize the art form by adapting it to popular taste

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 bastardizes Additionally, adding the musical element further bastardizes this tale. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bastardizes
  1. degrades
  2. corrupts
  3. subverts
  4. weakens
  5. destroys
  6. dilutes
  7. debases
  8. humiliates
Verb
  • At rates exceeding the cap, the internet degrades and is no longer usable.
    — Aidan Stretch, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • My observations have been that when human capital is treated as a purely algorithmic input, workplace culture degrades and strategic talent development stops.
    — Syed Ahmad, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of degrades
Verb
  • Forgetting his bond with the land, Mariano awakens the Ch’iqmi, a dark force that corrupts his people.
    — Kevin Giraud, Variety, 25 June 2026
  • One nanny will try to get to the bottom of it before all the partying, power and privilege corrupts her.
    — Denise Petski, Deadline, 21 Apr. 2026
Definition of corrupts
Verb
  • This places the audience alongside the Konyaks, and subverts the traditional, colonial cinematic gaze in the vein of Filipino maestro Lav Diaz.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Psycho playfully subverts expectations and rejects structural norms to deliver one of the most surprising thrillers ever committed to film.
    — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of subverts
Verb
  • Limited inventory continues to support prices, even as buyer demand weakens.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 20 Oct. 2026
  • If the ridge weakens sufficiently, this could eventually open the door to returning rain chances.
    — Michael Autovino, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of weakens
Verb
  • These include immune amnesia, a type of immunosuppression in which the measles virus destroys immune cells and adaptive responses.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Cash flow is a timing problem, not a sales problem, and that difference destroys companies that look profitable on paper.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of destroys
Verb
  • Even where mold has been detected, brewing dilutes the concentration and lowers any health risk.
    — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Season 4 dilutes that power across three couples, one of whom occupies the highest office in America.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of dilutes
Verb
  • In order to emerge victorious in his quest to bring the World Cup to Mexico, De la Torre debases himself and backstabs shamelessly.
    — Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
  • In a new Instagram post shared on Tuesday, the composer behind the HBO show’s memorable soundtrack described an industry that debases its own art and the people who make it for the sake of consumerism.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 17 Mar. 2026
Definition of debases
Verb
  • Filming a scene in which Isaiah humiliates Cam, Withers asked Wayans to crack jokes about Kionte’s death — the defining event of Withers’ life, and his lowest point.
    — Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Diomande just humiliates fullbacks.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 12 June 2026
Definition of humiliates

Browse Nearby Words

bastardized
bastardizes
bastardizing
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bastardizes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bastardizes. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All