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Synonyms

downgrade

American  
[doun-greyd] / ˈdaʊnˌgreɪd /

noun

  1. a downward slope, especially of a road.

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

"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

noun

  1. a downward slope, esp in a road

  2. waning in importance, popularity, health, etc

"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

Other Word Forms

  • downgrader noun

Etymology

Origin of downgrade

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

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.

The UK's downgrade of half a percentage point is the largest of the world's advanced economies, with the UK now earmarked to have middling growth this year compared to its peers.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

The Treasury chief also spoke about the global economy, saying the International Monetary Fund “probably overreacted” in its downgrade of its global economic growth target for this year because of the Middle East conflict.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

Excluding Iran, overall regional economic growth was expected to slow to just 1.8 percent in 2026 -- a downgrade of 2.4 percentage points from before the war, the Bank said.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

The latest downgrade in fourth-quarter GDP, meanwhile, stemmed from a bigger slowdown in the production of inventories — unsold goods — than originally reported.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 9, 2026

The surveillance department was meant to monitor subprime bonds and downgrade them if the loans that underpinned them went bad.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Definitions 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.