1
as in to reduce
to bring to a lower grade or rank
the view that such a system degrades doctors to the status of medical employees who ultimately are not in charge of their patients' health care
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to deteriorate
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
degrading the school's animal mascot with a silly costume
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to humiliate
to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes
the players degraded themselves with their crude antics off the field
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of degrade
Long-term drought has degraded the old-growth forest where the squirrels live.
—
John Leos, AZCentral.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Design for Choice, Not Chaos Present customers with multiple options, from digital wallets to local payment rails, without degrading user experience.
—Christer Holloman, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Are officials degrading citizens’ Internet access to sell them VPNs?
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 2 Sep. 2025
Pollution from urban runoff and industrial discharges continues to degrade water quality.
—Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for degrade
John Leos, AZCentral.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Design for Choice, Not Chaos Present customers with multiple options, from digital wallets to local payment rails, without degrading user experience.
—Christer Holloman, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Are officials degrading citizens’ Internet access to sell them VPNs?
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 2 Sep. 2025
Pollution from urban runoff and industrial discharges continues to degrade water quality.
—Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for degrade
Recent Examples of Synonyms for degrade
Verb
-
His team accused Whatley of distorting the facts to cover for his support of federal policies that reduced funding for local police.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Valentino has been streamlining its wholesale channel, reduced by about 20 percent in 2024, a strategy that continued in 2025 and that is expected to impact its year-end performance.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In San Francisco, a development called Hunters View built in 1956 to provide temporary workforce housing was still inhabited and badly deteriorating by the early 2000s.—
Jeffrey Steele,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
But the relations have deteriorated significantly since the start of the war in Gaza, with Israeli officials voicing growing anger at Qatar, accusing the government of harboring Hamas and not putting enough pressure on it to agree to a ceasefire.—
Oren Liebermann,
CNN Money,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
And Sacks, a PayPal Mafia member and veteran Silicon Valley investor, is just the sort of titan of industry this town routinely devours and humiliates — from Rex Tillerson to, well, Elon Musk.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
And whether the Carolina Panthers are just stuck in an endless loop of embarrassment, one that alternately humiliates and enrages their fans.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Jerome Ford is not a feature back and should be demoted once Judkins proves capable at pass protection and blitz pickups after missing all of training camp.—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Many coup backers are simply demoted or purged from the government without facing trial or execution.—
Joe Wright,
The Conversation,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Foreign powers such as Russia and China, which challenge America and its allies from Europe to the Middle East to Taiwan and the South China Sea, have long been accused of exploiting such divisions through disinformation campaigns that inflame tensions and weaken confidence in American governance.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
-
But around the equinoxes, the natural buffer weakens.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
About two hours later, the US Air Force dropped military flares in the sky, with rumors stating this was an attempt to cover up and discredit the UFO incident that occurred earlier in the evening.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Eventually, however, Lowell’s ideas were discredited—Schiaparelli, once an ally, renounced them—and the world moved on.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Added to this natural reluctance, competition between institutions has subverted collaboration to increase net welfare.—
David G.W. Birch,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Much of how the show subverts expectation is through its cast — Will Lipton, Zendé Murdock, Axel Ellis, Jesse Golliher, and Jeremy Yun — a group of twenty-somethings hailing from across the country who, since their casting, have become a real band amid an industry rock resurgence.—
Abbey White,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
We wouldn’t be embarrassed by it, nor would the audience.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
12 Sep. 2025
-
What People Are Saying Maritime analysts have weighed in on the nature reserve declaration, with some linking it to the August 11 collision that embarrassed Beijing.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Degrade.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degrade. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share