degrading
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of degrading
Explanation
Degrading describes something that is disrespectful or dishonorable like a degrading comment that angered everyone who heard it. The word degrading comes from degrade, which means "to treat someone with contempt." So something that is degrading is cruel, meant to put a person or group down. For example, if you ever heard someone say that all women (or men, kids, or people from a certain place or who speak a certain language or belong to a certain racial group) are "all alike," you have heard a degrading comment.
Vocabulary lists containing degrading
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney
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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)
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They Called Us Enemy
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Rigid operational dictates cause infrastructure investment to plummet, ultimately degrading track quality and severely hurting long-term economic productivity.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026
The hapless man, Mr. de la Bédoyère writes, “sat by, unable or perhaps unwilling by virtue of his status and deference to do anything about the degrading spectacle.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
Nowak's family called his treatment by police "inhumane and degrading" and the force has apologised.
From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026
I assume you’re going to live in this new home for the next 20-odd years, and that you have the means to upgrade without degrading your retirement fund.
From MarketWatch • May 11, 2026
And Dasch felt that the tipping system was degrading.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
