Definition

1. Verb:
   • To declare a child to be illegitimate: To officially state or determine that a child was born to parents who were not legally married.
   • To change something so that its value declines; for example, art forms: To corrupt, debase, or spoil the quality, purity, or original character of something, often by adding inferior elements.

Usage and Examples

• Verb (Declare illegitimate):

  • The nobleman sought to bastardize his rival's heir to prevent him from inheriting the title.
  • In historical contexts, a king could bastardize his children to alter the line of succession.

• Verb (Corrupt or debase):

  • Critics argued that the film adaptation completely bastardized the original novel's complex themes.
  • Adding cheap, synthetic materials will bastardize the traditional craft, making it less valuable.

Advanced Usage

• "to bastardize a language": to corrupt a language by introducing non-standard or incorrect forms.

  • Purists claim that using excessive slang and internet abbreviations bastardizes the English language.

• "to bastardize a concept": to distort or misuse a principle or idea.

  • The politician was accused of bastardizing the concept of freedom to justify harmful policies.

Variants and Related Words

• Bastardization (noun): The act or process of bastardizing.

  • The bastardization of the recipe led to a much less flavorful dish.

• Bastard (noun, historical/legal): A person born to parents not married to each other. (Note: This term is now considered offensive when referring to a person.)

Synonyms

• Debase: To reduce in quality or value.
• Corrupt: To cause to become morally depraved or to alter for the worse.
• Adulterate: To make something poorer in quality by adding another substance.
• Vulgarize: To make less refined or more common.

Antonyms

• Purify: To make pure or free from contamination.
• Elevate: To raise in rank, status, or quality.
• Ennoble: To lend greater dignity or honor to.

Related Phrases and Concepts

• Cultural bastardization: The process where a cultural element is altered in a way that strips it of its original meaning or value, often through commercialization or oversimplification.
  • The festival's transformation into a tourist trap is seen as a clear case of cultural bastardization.

Verb

1. declare a child to be illegitimate
2. change something so that its value declines; for example, art forms