degraded

adjective

de·​grad·​ed di-ˈgrā-dəd 

dē-

1

: reduced far below ordinary standards of civilized life and conduct

2

: characterized by degeneration of structure or function

degradedly adverb

Synonyms

• corrupt
• debased
• debauched
• decadent
• degenerate
• demoralized
• depraved
• dissipated
• dissolute
• jackleg
• libertine
• loose
• perverse
• perverted
• rakehell
• rakehelly
• rakish
• reprobate
• sick
• unclean
• unwholesome
• warped

Examples of degraded in a Sentence

many observers deplored the fact that the city's festivities for Mardi Gras had become a degraded, drunken celebration

Recent Examples on the Web

How degraded must someone’s capabilities be to pose a problem? —Philip Bump, Washington Post, 8 July 2024

And her other goal was to do experiments to see whether native plants could be reestablished on degraded lands. —Sophie McNulty, Scientific American, 13 June 2024

Wire brushes to clean, joint rakers to clear degraded mortar, carbide-tipped chisels to carve and repoint each meter of the wall: these are the tools of a slow, laborious, and resource-intensive process. —John Ganz, Harper's Magazine, 22 May 2024

And climate change on a degraded planet is not a problem created or solved by physics or technology. —Bill Weir, TIME, 12 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1643, in the meaning defined at sense 1