downgrade

[ doun-greyd ]

noun

1. a downward slope, especially of a road.

adjective

1. downhill.

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.

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

downgrade

/ ˈdaʊnˌɡreɪd /

verb

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

noun

1. a downward slope, esp in a road
2. on the downgrade
   waning in importance, popularity, health, etc

Other Words From

• downgrader noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of downgrade¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

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

   His career has been on the downgrade.

Example Sentences

This was the year when the government defaulted on its debt repayments, international rating agencies downgraded Ghana's creditworthiness to "junk status", and inflation skyrocketed to 54%.

From BBC

His security was downgraded when he stopped being a working royal.

From BBC

Bosses said the main clinical system was being restored and the incident had now been downgraded to a "business continuity incident".

From BBC

An amber weather warning for rain and snow in the east of Scotland has now been downgraded to a yellow warning for rain which will remain in place until 09:00 on Sunday.

From BBC

And, yes, both shows tuck some contemporary works into their historical displays, downgrading them as well.

From Los Angeles Times