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
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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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of degrade
These help slow down the wear and tear that degrades most traditional joysticks over time.
—
Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 2 Oct. 2025
But warming ocean temperatures, rising sea levels, disease and human activity, such as pollution, have severely degraded Florida's reefs, according to the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 1 Oct. 2025
The team’s goal is to track and predict how asphalt roads degrade.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2025
These microRNA specifically target and degrade messenger RNA carrying the instructions to build more huntingtin protein, therefore lowering the amount of huntingtin protein in the cell.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for degrade
Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 2 Oct. 2025
But warming ocean temperatures, rising sea levels, disease and human activity, such as pollution, have severely degraded Florida's reefs, according to the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 1 Oct. 2025
The team’s goal is to track and predict how asphalt roads degrade.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2025
These microRNA specifically target and degrade messenger RNA carrying the instructions to build more huntingtin protein, therefore lowering the amount of huntingtin protein in the cell.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for degrade
Recent Examples of Synonyms for degrade
Verb
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Onboarding can be personalized based on the team and role, helping people get productive faster and reducing the need for additional training.—
Jessica Coacci,
Fortune,
9 Oct. 2025
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This means targeted improvements could significantly reduce overall pollution without an industry-wide overhaul.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Run defense by the safety opposite Minkah Fitzpatrick also has deteriorated.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
9 Oct. 2025
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The plan has seen rapid growth in recent years as California’s insurance market has deteriorated, with companies pulling back business in the state due to rising risks from climate change, losses caused by major wildfires and other factors.—
Stephen Hobbs,
Sacbee.com,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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We were crushed, humiliated, and broken, after our city was destroyed, occupied and erased from existence.—
Ruth Margalit,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
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Alarr’s unwelcome physical touching made Plaintiff feel offended, uncomfortable, humiliated and intimidated.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Flacco played in four games for Cleveland in 2025, starting all of them and leading the team to a 1-3 mark before he was demoted in favor of Gabriel.—
Max Dible,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
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But Old Man Nate’s ascension to the big four means Jawan has been officially demoted to the minor leagues.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But with her coalition prospects in doubt, and the party weakened by scandal and voter frustration, her route to Japan’s top job is far from assured.—
Hanako Montgomery,
CNN Money,
11 Oct. 2025
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Studies have found that, in some instances, background noise can weaken territorial responses in males.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In the book, she's portrayed as someone suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and on anxiety medication, both of which are used to discredit her and paint her as unwell.—
Rebecca Aizin,
PEOPLE,
11 Oct. 2025
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Bullmer attempts to discredit her until Carrie, dressed as Anne, backs her up.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Below, Gray speaks with THR about life on the road, subverting the pressure of fans’ reaction to his music and finding his complete self recording his new music.—
Nicole Fell,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Oct. 2025
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Infiniti’s portrayal of Willa has drawn praise for subverting the trope of the damsel in distress, instead becoming her very own heroine in the tale.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The games themselves are embarrassing enough to watch.—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
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One agent was disciplined for insubordination after refusing to go along with the plan to embarrass Comey in this way.—
The Conversation,
The Conversation,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Degrade.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degrade. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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