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
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to reduce in amount, strength, intensity, etc.
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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
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(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
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have degradedperfect
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has degradedperfect
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am degradingprogressive
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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:
But the most up-to-date data shows that the hazard ratio didn’t degrade much over time, which commonly happens after experimental therapies move from smaller Phase 2 trials into larger Phase 3 studies.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
That would come at a cost: Refined products can degrade and must be continually replaced.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 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
The environmental impact of traditional balloons, which despite their advertising do not degrade, is largely unknown to the general public.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
I could not shake the almost desperate sadness all this evoked, and I marveled that sounds could so degrade the spirit.
From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin
As frontotemporal dementia degrades social awareness, loved ones and neuroscientists confront the heartbreaking boundary between a changing mind and the enduring self.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
As permafrost degrades, glacial lake outbursts and rock-ice avalanches are expected to increase, producing faster, debris-laden floods that are harder to forecast.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
If it degrades rapidly, that means insects are attracted to the plentiful organic matter.
From Salon ● Dec. 4, 2025
Diet activates autophagy -- a cellular "clean-up" process that degrades and recycles damaged proteins.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2025
A punishment that degrades the punished will degrade the man who inflicts the punishment, and will degrade the government that procures the infliction.
From The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 11 (of 12) Dresden Edition?Miscellany by Robert Green Ingersoll
Under this accord, nations set 23 global targets for 2030 including protecting 30 percent of land and oceans, tackling pollution and invasive species, and restoring degraded ecosystems.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
From degraded batteries and pricey home electrical overhauls to state road-use taxes and specialized tires, pre-owned EVs can come with a unique ledger of surprising expenses.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
"Too much double-stranded RNA or mRNA that cannot be degraded effectively may contribute to disease processes in some contexts."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026
Regarding the possibility the pentobarbital was degraded, Zivot explained that if this was the case, it could be due to factors including poor manufacturing or improper storage.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
But it was better, I figured, to have Ronnie a little peeved than to have me a whole lot damaged and degraded, just because I’d let my guard down for three and one-third seconds.
From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan
That produces a different effect from existing drugs that target BCL6 by blocking or degrading it.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
Paul Scanlon, from Cardiff, has had a stoma for nearly four years after being diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer, external and said he had suffered "degrading" and "humiliating" treatment at UK airports.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
It acknowledged that data centers employ tens of thousands of union members while pledging to fight to keep AI from degrading job quality.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
“The experience was traumatizing, degrading and humiliating,” André said when the lawsuit was filed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
There is a theory that the process of aging may be due to the cumulative effect of imprecision, a gradual degrading of information.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
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