degrade
Americanverb (used with object)
-
degrades,
present (3rd person singular)
-
degraded,
past participle, past
-
degrading
present participle
-
to lower in dignity or estimation; bring into contempt.
He felt they were degrading him by making him report to the supervisor.
- Antonyms:
- exalt
-
to lower in character or quality; debase.
- Antonyms:
- exalt
-
to reduce (someone) to a lower rank, degree, etc.; deprive of office, rank, status, or title, especially as a punishment.
degraded from director to assistant director.
- Antonyms:
- promote
-
to reduce in amount, strength, intensity, etc.
-
Physical Geography. to wear down by erosion, as hills.
-
Chemistry. to break down (a compound, especially an organic hydrocarbon).
verb (used without object)
-
degrades,
present (3rd person singular)
-
degraded,
past participle, past
-
degrading
present participle
-
to become degraded; weaken or worsen; deteriorate.
-
Chemistry. (especially of an organic hydrocarbon compound) to break down or decompose.
verb
-
(tr) to reduce in worth, character, etc; disgrace; dishonour
-
(tr) to reduce in rank, status, or degree; remove from office; demote
-
(tr) to reduce in strength, quality, intensity, etc
-
to reduce or be reduced by erosion or down-cutting, as a land surface or bed of a river Compare aggrade
-
chem to decompose or be decomposed into atoms or smaller molecules
Synonym Usage
See humble.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
degradesimple
-
degradessimple
-
have degradedperfect
-
has degradedperfect
-
am degradingprogressive
-
are degradingprogressive
-
is degradingprogressive
-
have been degradingperfect progressive
-
has been degradingperfect progressive
Past
-
degradedsimple
-
had degradedperfect
-
was degradingprogressive
-
were degradingprogressive
-
had been degradingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of degrade
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English degraden, from Late Latin dēgradāre, from Latin dē- de- + grad(us) “step, rank, progress” ( see grade) + -āre, infinitive verb suffix
Explanation
To degrade means to reduce the worth of something, as when smoke and pollution degrade the environment. The word can also mean to disrespect or insult: thoughtless comments can degrade a person. If you whistle at a passing woman, you're being disrespectful — your behavior degrades women. Degrade is often used to mean to insult someone because of their gender or race. Degrade also means to break down. Old paper or photographs can degrade when left in the light — their material breaks down so that they crumble at a touch.
Vocabulary lists containing degrade
30 GRE Words Beginning with "D"
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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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How Low Can You Go? Synonyms for "Downward"
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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.
See Examples For:
For every $1 invested in protecting or restoring nature, about $30 still goes into activities that degrade it, according to UN figures.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
After letting the culture of William Morris degrade for years?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Recognizing that 9/11’s horrors compounded over the years does not degrade the memory of its initial victims.
From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026
In a study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, researchers found that a wide range of animals, including marine worms, starfish, earthworms, and other terrestrial species, possess enzymes that can degrade microbial PHAs.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
“A more conservative association was wanted. And now if we divide and Mrs. Stanton shall be deposed from the presidency you virtually degrade her.”
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
When a biopsy is taken, the genetic material in the tissue degrades within hours, unless it is protected.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
The updated lawsuit also points to a blog post OpenAI published the day the initial lawsuit was filed, in which it acknowledged that its safety training sometimes degrades in long conversations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2025
Diet activates autophagy -- a cellular "clean-up" process that degrades and recycles damaged proteins.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2025
Sickness spreads, often directly through viruses or indirectly by depleting family resources, putting stress on people that degrades their health.
From Salon ● May 27, 2025
The trouble with this is that it hardens and degrades to the last degree the ministers of the law.
From The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 11 (of 12) Dresden Edition?Miscellany by Robert Green Ingersoll
The Tennessee Department of Correction has not specifically addressed an allegation from Pike's legal team that the pentobarbital it used was "degraded".
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Midrange drones have degraded some Russian electronic-warfare systems and hobbled 300 vessels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
Nothing has degraded more for Latino men, however, than the simple pleasures of life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
If some of these satellites get hacked, damaged, derailed, or destroyed, America’s ability to fight a war would be seriously degraded.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
I found another set of degraded codes and reversed them.
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
But opponents continued to challenge executions, including execution methods, as painful or degrading.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
That produces a different effect from existing drugs that target BCL6 by blocking or degrading it.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
Campaigners have claimed that the sentences could amount to inhumane and degrading treatment.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
“The experience was traumatizing, degrading and humiliating,” André said when the lawsuit was filed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
The reins, the halters, the blinkers, the degrading nosebags, were thrown on to the rubbish fire which was burning in the yard.
From "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story" by George Orwell
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
