degrading

adjective

de·​grad·​ing di-ˈgrā-diŋ How to pronounce degrading (audio)
dē-
: causing or associated with a low, destitute, or demoralized state : causing someone to be or feel degraded
a degrading experience
… a work about a young man full of bottled rage looking for a degrading job …Penelope Gilliatt
… any cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment of detainees was absolutely forbidden …David Cole
degradingly adverb
"I hate to be poor, and we are degradingly poor, offensively poor, miserably poor, beastly poor." Charles Dickens
When employees are treated degradingly by their manager, they respond with decreased motivation, commitment, loyalty, and productivity. Ken Lloyd

Examples of degrading in a Sentence

made degrading comments about his so-called friend behind his back
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
More than 2 million people in the U.S. lack indoor plumbing and more live with failing sewage systems that can result in waste backing up into homes or pooling on the ground, threatening public health and degrading basic dignity, the EPA said. San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Feb. 2024 Read: ‘Shallow Hal’ and the never-ending fat joke Among Lost’s most degrading tropes was Hurley’s obsession with junk food. Rebecca Bodenheimer, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2024 Throughout her time in Danity Kane and later Diddy-Dirty Money, Richard claims that Combs would make degrading comments about her body and physical appearance. Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2024 But that makes his capitulation only more degrading. Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for degrading 

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1540, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of degrading was circa 1540

Dictionary Entries Near degrading

Cite this Entry

“Degrading.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/degrading. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.

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