degraded

[dih-grey-did]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR degraded ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

reduced in rank, position, reputation, etc.: He felt degraded by the trivial tasks assigned to him.

reduced in quality or value; debased; vulgarized: the degraded level of the modern novel.

Origin of degraded

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at degrade, -ed²

Related formsde·grad·ed·ly, adverbde·grad·ed·ness, nounun·de·grad·ed, adjective

degrade

[dih-greyd or for 3, dee-greyd]

verb (used with object), de·grad·ed, de·grad·ing.

to lower in dignity or estimation; bring into contempt: He felt they were degrading him by making him report to the supervisor.

to lower in character or quality; debase.

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.

to reduce in amount, strength, intensity, etc.

Physical Geography. to wear down by erosion, as hills.Compare aggrade.

Chemistry. to break down (a compound, especially an organic hydrocarbon).

verb (used without object), de·grad·ed, de·grad·ing.

to become degraded; weaken or worsen; deteriorate.

Chemistry. (especially of an organic hydrocarbon compound) to break down or decompose.

Origin of degrade

1275–1325; Middle English degraden < Late Latin dēgradāre, equivalent to Latin dē- de- + grad(us) grade + -āre infinitive suffix

Related formsde·grad·er, noun

Synonyms for degrade

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR degrade ON THESAURUS.COM

1. disgrace, dishonor, discredit. 2. abase, vitiate. 3. demote, depose, downgrade, lower, cashier, break.

Synonym study

1. See humble.

Antonyms for degrade

1, 2. exalt. 3. promote.

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

Related Words for degraded

depraved, debased

Examples from the Web for degraded

Contemporary Examples of degraded

It's a place where minorities are degraded and maligned for fun.
The Fox News Apology Tour
Dean Obeidallah
October 1, 2014
The nature of the mobile-enabled swarmcast means it appear to be degraded, but it has really only reconfigured.
ISIS Is Winning the Online Jihad Against the West
Ali Fisher, Nico Prucha
October 1, 2014
A high end audio system from 50 years ago sounds better than your degraded, compressed product.
25 Things I Want from an Online Music Service (and Almost Never Get)
Ted Gioia
June 30, 2014
He degraded her and he really put her through the wringer, but she survived that and stayed with him anyway.
Adam Driver on Role-Play Sex with Lena Dunham on ‘Girls’ and Adam’s Stormy Relationship with Hannah
Marlow Stern
March 10, 2014
When people and goods can't move because of a degraded transportation infrastructure, business comes to a screeching halt.
The MTA and New York City Will Get Hit Again
Matthew Zeitlin
November 3, 2012

Historical Examples of degraded

Some of these had indeed been tamed, but more had been degraded.
Cameos from English History, from Rollo to Edward II
Charlotte Mary Yonge
He need no longer fear that Alice would be degraded in the eyes of Evelyn.
Alice, or The Mysteries, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
She had called him hers while another woman held his vows, and she was degraded.
Meadow Grass
Alice Brown
Mites are not true insects, but are the most degraded of spiders.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 417
Various
Besides, it was borrowed from the syllabus of a degraded superstition.
Punchinello, Vol. 1, No. 11, June 11, 1870
Various

British Dictionary definitions for degraded

degrade

verb

(tr) to reduce in worth, character, etc; disgrace; dishonour

(diːˈɡreɪd) (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 riverCompare aggrade

chem to decompose or be decomposed into atoms or smaller molecules

Derived Formsdegrader, noun

Word Origin for degrade

C14: from Late Latin dēgradāre, from Latin de- + gradus rank, degree

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 degraded

degrade

late 14c., from Old French degrader (12c.) "degrade, deprive (of office, rank, etc.)," from des- "down" (see dis-) + Latin gradus "step" (see grade (n.)). Related: Degraded; degrading.