Both Uses of
debase
in
Unbroken, by Hillenbrand
- One American airman, shot down and relentlessly debased by his Japanese captors, described the state of mind that his captivity created: "I was literally becoming a lesser human being."
p. 183.1 *debased = treated as less-than-human
- This is likely one of the reasons why Japanese soldiers in World War II debased their prisoners with such zeal, seeking to take from them that which was most painful and destructive to lose.†
p. 183.2debased = degrade (decreased) the purity, quality, or status of something
Definition:
to degrade (decrease) the purity, quality, or status of something -- often morality or metals