degradation

[ deg-ruh-dey-shuhn ]

/ ˌdɛg rəˈdeɪ ʃən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR degradation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of degrading.

the state of being degraded.

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

Chemistry. the breakdown of an organic compound.

Nearby words

Origin of degradation

1525–35; < Late Latin dēgradātiōn- (stem of dēgradātiō), equivalent to dēgradāt(us) (past participle of dēgradāre to degrade) + -iōn- -ion

SYNONYMS FOR degradation

2. humiliation, disgrace, dishonor, debasement.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR degradation ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

deg·ra·da·tion·al, adjectivedeg·ra·da·tive, adjectivean·ti·deg·ra·da·tion, adjectivenon·deg·ra·da·tion, noun

self-deg·ra·da·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for degradation

There are always examples of degradation, but there are very few examples of ecosystems left that are that pristine.
Republicans: Obama’s Ocean Protection Plan Evidence of ‘Imperial Presidency’|Abigail Golden|June 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Since this past November, you have seen the slow and steady drumbeat of degradation,” Steele says.
The New, Not Necessarily Improved, Chris Christie|Lloyd Grove|December 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And this of course raises the specter of Republican lies that make their own contribution to the degradation of public discourse.
Obama and Romney Are Both Liars|Michael Medved|October 2, 2012|DAILY BEAST
So it is with Just Send Me Word, a heroic love story amid the squalor and degradation of the Gulag.
‘Just Send Me Word’ by Orlando Figes: Life and Love in the Gulag|Owen Matthews|June 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST

The legacy of the degradation of bodies in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region is historical.
Perry Has a Point About the Marines Video vs. the Daniel Pearl Video|Asra Q. Nomani|January 19, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Would Joe and Moll find them and force them back to a life of lovelessness, hardship, and degradation?
Two Little Travellers|Frances Browne Arthur
The danger of degradation of the woman ceases when she is equal to the man as regards rights and property.
The Sexual Question|August Forel
The degradation of woman (and of man) seems to be inextricably involved.
Memoirs of My Dead Life|George Moore
Which means the degradation and enslavement of nations and of men.
God and the State|Mikhail Aleksandrovich Bakunin
When the day comes that we shall be confronted with death or degradation, the young American will know how to choose.
The Root of Evil|Thomas Dixon

British Dictionary definitions for degradation

degradation

/ (ˌdɛɡrəˈdeɪʃən) /

noun

the act of degrading or the state of being degraded

a state of degeneration, squalor, or poverty

some act, constraint, etc, that is degrading

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

chem a breakdown of a molecule into atoms or smaller molecules

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

RC Church the permanent unfrocking of a priest

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for degradation

degradation

1530s, from French dégradation (14c., Old French degradacion), from Medieval Latin degradationem (nominative degradatio), noun of action from past participle stem of degradare (see degrade).

Medicine definitions for degradation

degradation

[ dĕg′rə-dā′shən ]

n.

Progressive decomposition of a chemical compound into a less complex compound.

degradation

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of degradation

Examples from the Web for degradation

degradation

noun

degradation

degradation

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