degrading
adjective
de·grad·ing
di-ˈgrā-diŋ 
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
Penelope Gilliatt… any cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment of detainees was absolutely forbidden …—David Cole
David Cole
degradingly
di-ˈgrā-diŋ-lē
adverb
dē-
"I hate to be poor, and we are degradingly poor, offensively poor, miserably poor, beastly poor."
—Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
When employees are treated degradingly by their manager, they respond with decreased motivation, commitment, loyalty, and productivity.
—Ken Lloyd
Ken Lloyd
Synonyms
Examples of degrading in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Nevertheless, Mulkey was right to bash the degrading, divisive and defamatory commentary published in the L.A. Times.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
The vulnerability of these cables was emphasized in late February, when a few were damaged in the Red Sea, markedly degrading people’s online experience in parts of East Africa and South Asia.
—David Meyer, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024
Human rights groups have repeatedly criticized airdrops as an inefficient and degrading way of getting aid to Gazans, instead urging Israeli authorities to lift controls on land crossings into the enclave.
—Abdelqadder Sabbah, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
The nonprofit found that women in the department faced harassment, degrading comments, limited promotional opportunities and poor representation in leadership.
—Cameron Knight, The Enquirer, 13 Mar. 2024
Humanitarian agencies previously criticized the drops as inefficient and a degrading way of getting aid to Gazans, urging Israeli authorities to lift controls on land crossings into the enclave.
—Sana Noor Haq, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024
Now that sea levels are higher, the concrete and steel foundation piles are exposed to the degrading effects of saltwater more often.
—Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2024
His hands were tied behind his back and he was treated in a degrading and humiliating manner.
—Katie Polglase, CNN, 21 Feb. 2024
This culminated in its 1985 test launch by an F-15 fighter jet, releasing a payload at around 38,000 feet that whooshed into orbit and destroyed a degrading U.S. satellite, according to the U.S. Air Force museum.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 15 Feb. 2024
Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
The vulnerability of these cables was emphasized in late February, when a few were damaged in the Red Sea, markedly degrading people’s online experience in parts of East Africa and South Asia.
—David Meyer, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024
Human rights groups have repeatedly criticized airdrops as an inefficient and degrading way of getting aid to Gazans, instead urging Israeli authorities to lift controls on land crossings into the enclave.
—Abdelqadder Sabbah, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
The nonprofit found that women in the department faced harassment, degrading comments, limited promotional opportunities and poor representation in leadership.
—Cameron Knight, The Enquirer, 13 Mar. 2024
Humanitarian agencies previously criticized the drops as inefficient and a degrading way of getting aid to Gazans, urging Israeli authorities to lift controls on land crossings into the enclave.
—Sana Noor Haq, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024
Now that sea levels are higher, the concrete and steel foundation piles are exposed to the degrading effects of saltwater more often.
—Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2024
His hands were tied behind his back and he was treated in a degrading and humiliating manner.
—Katie Polglase, CNN, 21 Feb. 2024
This culminated in its 1985 test launch by an F-15 fighter jet, releasing a payload at around 38,000 feet that whooshed into orbit and destroyed a degrading U.S. satellite, according to the U.S. Air Force museum.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 15 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'degrading.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near degrading
Cite this Entry
“Degrading.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/degrading. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share