downgrade

American  

[doun-greyd] / ˈdaʊnˌgreɪd /

noun

1. a downward slope, especially of a road.

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adjective

1. downhill.

verb (used with object)

downgraded, downgrading

1. to assign to a lower status with a smaller salary.

2. to minimize the importance of; denigrate.

   She tried to downgrade the findings of the investigation.

3. to assign a lower security classification to (information, a document, etc.).

idioms

1. on the downgrade, in a decline toward an inferior state or position.

   His career has been on the downgrade.

downgrade British  

/ ˈdaʊnˌɡreɪd /

verb

1. to reduce in importance, esteem, or value, esp to demote (a person) to a poorer job

2. to speak of disparagingly

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noun

1. a downward slope, esp in a road

2. waning in importance, popularity, health, etc

Other Word Forms

• downgrader noun

Etymology

Origin of downgrade

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60; down ¹ + grade

Example Sentences

The power technology company got a new top price target from Wall Street days after catching a relatively rare downgrade.

From Barron's

Thanachart Securities downgrades the Thai healthcare sector to neutral from overweight, reflecting a less compelling risk-reward profile over the medium term.

From The Wall Street Journal

An amber warning for Snow been downgraded by the Met Office, after a week of winter weather brought disruption across the north of Scotland.

From BBC

The intermittent walk-out began over plans to downgrade some job roles, which Unite said would result in up to 170 workers facing an £8,000-a-year pay cut.

From BBC

Last month, Roth Capital downgraded Costco’s stock to sell, citing the softer membership trends, competition and more caution among consumers over starting a family.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• degrade
• demote
• devalue
• reduce
• undervalue