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.
Some users bragged about allegedly assaulting or blackmailing women and encouraged others to insult the women shown in photos with degrading language. Cnn Staff 20 Hr Ago, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2025 In a degrading battery, the researchers observed two key signs of trouble. Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 5 Aug. 2025 The result is an altering of the model weight by a whopping 216, degrading model accuracy from 80 percent to 0.1 percent, said Gururaj Saileshwar, an assistant professor at the University of Toronto and co-author of an academic paper demonstrating the attack. ArsTechnica, 14 July 2025 Another study in Frontiers in Neuroscience found that even moderate, chronic sleep restriction produces cumulative effects, subtly degrading decision quality and emotional regulation over time. Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025 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

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Cite this Entry

“Degrading.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/degrading. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

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