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

Ned Davis Research on Thursday downgraded equities and is shifting to cash as the research firm responds to high market volatility dominated by the Iran war, sticky inflation, and shifting expectations for Federal Reserve policy.

From Barron's

That has enabled the company to keep customers who might cancel a higher-priced package but now are more likely to just downgrade their subscription.

From MarketWatch

Six months passed before the first meeting of the task force, which by then had been downgraded to a “working group.”

From Salon

Dropbox and more than a handful of other stocks received downgrades on Monday from William Blair analysts who say AI has injected increased uncertainty into the software sector.

From Barron's

Dropbox and more than a handful of other stocks received downgrades on Monday from William Blair analysts who say AI has injected increased uncertainty into the software sector.

From Barron's

Related Words

• degrade
• demote
• devalue
• reduce
• undervalue