degraded
Americanadjective
-
reduced in rank, position, reputation, etc..
He felt degraded by the trivial tasks assigned to him.
-
reduced in quality or value; debased; vulgarized.
the degraded level of the modern novel.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of degraded
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; see origin at degrade, -ed 2
Vocabulary lists containing degraded
"The Declaration of Sentiments" (1848)
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"Ellen West" by Frank Bidart
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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.
According to the team, this represented an important confirmation that degraded collagen fragments were genuinely present inside the fossil.
From Science Daily • May 14, 2026
The BTG Pactual TIG-Conservation International strategy seeks to conserve, restore and reforest about 660,000 acres of degraded land, an area more than twice the size of New York City.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026
Given the "substantial amount of time that passed between her death and the discovery", evidence had degraded or disappeared, he said.
From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026
"The substantial amount of time that passed between her death and the discovery meant that crucial evidence had degraded or disappeared."
From Barron's • Apr. 20, 2026
The only way to eradicate transformation was to digest the material with an enzyme that, of all things, degraded DNA.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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.
