degradation

[deg-ruh-dey-shuhn]

noun

1. the act of degrading. degrade.

2. the state of being degraded. degraded.

   Synonyms: debasement, dishonor, disgrace, humiliation

3. Physical Geography.,  the wearing down of the land by the erosive action of water, wind, or ice.

4. Chemistry.,  the breakdown of an organic compound.

degradation

/ ˌdɛɡrəˈdeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of degrading or the state of being degraded

2. a state of degeneration, squalor, or poverty

3. some act, constraint, etc, that is degrading

4. the wearing down of the surface of rocks, cliffs, etc, by erosion, weathering, or some other process

5. chem a breakdown of a molecule into atoms or smaller molecules

6. physics an irreversible process in which the energy available to do work is decreased

7. RC Church the permanent unfrocking of a priest

Other Word Forms

• degradational adjective
• degradative adjective
• antidegradation adjective
• nondegradation noun
• self-degradation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of degradation¹

First recorded in 1525–35; from Late Latin dēgradātiōn-, stem of dēgradātiō, from dēgradāt(us) “degraded” (past participle of dēgradāre; degrade ) + -iō -ion

Example Sentences

These same metabolites also lowered the amounts of two inflammatory proteins and a protein involved in collagen degradation.

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The findings from this project point toward that direction, and the research teams are already planning additional studies focused on microbial engineering and synthetic biology to improve future degradation capabilities.

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The findings highlight climate change, habitat degradation, pollution, and dietary imbalance as major forces increasing vulnerability among pets, livestock, and wildlife.

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It couldn’t hurt and it seems there’s literally nothing else we can do to exert any modicum of control over billionaires who are exacerbating environmental degradation and dangerous technology.

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And so did McLaren team principal Andrea Stella: "The level of degradation was very high, and at some stage I think the tyres just ran out of rubber," he said.

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Related Words

• degeneration 
• deterioration