downgrade

1 of 2

noun

down·​grade ˈdau̇n-ˌgrād 

1

: a downward grade (as of a road)

2

: a descent toward an inferior state

a career on the downgrade

downgrade

2 of 2

verb

downgraded; downgrading; downgrades

transitive verb

1

: to lower in quality, value, status, or extent

2

: minimize, depreciate

Synonyms

Noun

• decadence
• declension
• declination
• decline
• degeneracy
• degeneration
• degradation
• dégringolade
• descent
• deterioration
• devolution
• downfall
• ebb
• eclipse
• fall

Verb

• break
• bust
• degrade
• demote
• disrate
• reduce

Examples of downgrade in a Sentence

Noun

a downgrade in the company's stock prices

a singing career on the downgrade

Verb

The restaurant was downgraded from three to two stars.

She didn't intend to downgrade the importance of her colleague's work.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

SoFi Technologies — The fintech stock slipped 2% after a downgrade to underperform from neutral at Bank of America. —Alex Harring, CNBC, 9 Dec. 2024

To the dismay of investors, the chain’s stock is also facing a downgrade. —Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 24 Oct. 2024

Verb

What's New Delta Airlines is investigating a complaint from a disgruntled passenger who says they were downgraded from a first-class seat only to find that a dog had taken their place. —Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024

But by Wednesday, weather experts said that the threat was likely to be downgraded to a high surf advisory. —Nollyanne Delacruz, The Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1847, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1892, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

downgrade

1 of 2 noun

down·​grade -ˌgrād 

1

: a downward slope

2

: a lowering toward a worse condition

a neighborhood on the downgrade

downgrade adverb

downgrade

2 of 2 verb

: to lower in grade, rank, or standing