- present participle of degrade.
degrading
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of degrading
Explanation
Degrading describes something that is disrespectful or dishonorable like a degrading comment that angered everyone who heard it. The word degrading comes from degrade, which means "to treat someone with contempt." So something that is degrading is cruel, meant to put a person or group down. For example, if you ever heard someone say that all women (or men, kids, or people from a certain place or who speak a certain language or belong to a certain racial group) are "all alike," you have heard a degrading comment.
Vocabulary lists containing degrading
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney
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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)
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They Called Us Enemy
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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.
That produces a different effect from existing drugs that target BCL6 by blocking or degrading it.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
The claim was brought in negligence and under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, incorporated by the Human Rights Act 1998, which bars inhuman or degrading treatment.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
Power failures are the most acute risk, but a more insidious problem is if equipment keeps degrading more quickly than expected.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
“The experience was traumatizing, degrading and humiliating,” André said when the lawsuit was filed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Even if it means doing something extremely degrading.
From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
