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

Of course, in downgrading, Yosim loses out on the early hour of exclusive shopping and potentially feeling like that red-carpet-worthy VIP.

From MarketWatch

There were no material updates from Amazon or Meta Platforms and no significant upgrades or downgrades from Wall Street.

From Barron's

Wells Fargo downgraded Conagra Brands, Campbell’s, and General Mills to underweight due to inflation and economic concerns.

From Barron's

Also on Wednesday, the Financial Times reported that JPMorgan told investors that it had downgraded the value of certain loans in private-credit portfolios.

From MarketWatch

The increase is modest because of alumina downgrades, Mozal’s coming closure and an unchanged price outlook for other commodities, Shaw says.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• degrade
• demote
• devalue
• reduce
• undervalue