downgrade

[ doun-greyd ]
See synonyms for: downgradedowngrading on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a downward slope, especially of a road.

adjective, adverb
verb (used with object),down·grad·ed, down·grad·ing.
  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.

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

Idioms about downgrade

  1. on the downgrade, in a decline toward an inferior state or position: His career has been on the downgrade.

Origin of downgrade

1
An Americanism dating back to 1855–60; down1 + grade

Other words from downgrade

  • downgrader, noun

Words Nearby downgrade

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use downgrade in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for downgrade

downgrade

/ (ˈdaʊnˌɡreɪd) /


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

  2. to speak of disparagingly

noun
  1. mainly US and Canadian a downward slope, esp in a road

  2. on the downgrade 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