| 2. | debasement - changing to a lower state (a less respected state)change of state - the act of changing something into something different in essential characteristics dehumanisation, dehumanization - the act of degrading people with respect to their best qualities; "science has been blamed for the dehumanization of modern life" subversion, corruption - destroying someone's (or some group's) honesty or loyalty; undermining moral integrity; "corruption of a minor"; "the big city's subversion of rural innocence" profanation - degradation of something worthy of respect; cheapening | |