vulgarize
Strip of refinement
To vulgarize something is to make it coarse, crude, or common—to strip away refinement or dignity.
A film might vulgarize a literary classic by reducing its subtleties to crude humor.
The word also means to make something accessible to ordinary people, though this sense carries a whiff of condescension: He vulgarized complex philosophy for mass audiences.
The noun is vulgarization.
Diminish in worth
- degradeLower in standing
- corruptDishonest, open to bribes
- sullyDamage one's standing
- tarnishOxidation discoloration on metal
defile · devalue · besmirch · demean · lower · debase · adulterate · taint
Dominant cultural current
- commercializeExploit for profit
- mass-marketFor widespread commercial sale
- diluteReduce by adding solvent
- homogenizeMake uniformly consistent
commodify · democratize · spread · disseminate · mass-produce · accessible · widespread · common
Crudely lacking refinement
- uncouthLacking good manners
- crudeUnpolished, raw state
- obsceneGrossly offensive to decency
- lewdObscenely sexual
indecent · bawdy · ribald · profane · raunchy · salacious · scatological · foul-mouthed
Excessively basic, ignoring complexity
- reductiveOversimplifying complex matters
- dumbed-downMade less intellectually demanding
- superficialLacking depth or substance
- shallowWithout much depth
schematic · broad-brush · oversimplified · distort · truncate · generalize · misrepresent · caricature
cheapen
Diminish in worth
tarnish · defile · devalue · besmirch · demean · lower · debase · adulterate · taint · pollute
mainstream
Dominant cultural current
- commercializeExploit for profit
- mass-marketFor widespread commercial sale
- diluteReduce by adding solvent
homogenize · commodify · democratize · spread · disseminate · mass-produce · accessible · widespread · common · ubiquitous
crass
Crudely lacking refinement
lewd · indecent · bawdy · ribald · profane · raunchy · salacious · scatological · foul-mouthed · tasteless
simplistic
Excessively basic, ignoring complexity
- reductiveOversimplifying complex matters
- dumbed-downMade less intellectually demanding
- superficialLacking depth or substance
shallow · schematic · broad-brush · oversimplified · distort · truncate · generalize · misrepresent · caricature · flatten
vulgarizesophisticate
Worldly, cultured person
intellectualize · complicate · elaborate · deepen · enrich
vulgarity, vulgarism, vulgarian, vulgarized, vulgarians, vulgarizing, vulgarizes, vulgarised, vulgarise