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
Examples of degrading in a Sentence
made degrading comments about his so-called friend behind his back
Recent Examples on the Web
Sheriff Guidroz said the three inmates removed blocks from a degrading wall in the prison to create a hole, and used sheets to assist them in climbing down a wall and dropping to the ground.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 7 Dec. 2025
The safety alert also offered guidance to students on recognizing possible hazing, including coercion, unsafe or degrading activities, or tasks presented as mandatory for joining a group.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 7 Dec. 2025
Bosch also emphasized her respect for Thailand and encouraged women not to tolerate degrading treatment.
—Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 4 Nov. 2025
Charles Rolsky, executive director and senior research scientist at the Shaw Institute, a nonprofit focusing on the links between environmental and human health, says that many studies, including his own, suggest PVA can pass through wastewater treatment without completely degrading.
—Matt Fuchs, Time, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for degrading
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Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 7 Dec. 2025
The safety alert also offered guidance to students on recognizing possible hazing, including coercion, unsafe or degrading activities, or tasks presented as mandatory for joining a group.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 7 Dec. 2025
Bosch also emphasized her respect for Thailand and encouraged women not to tolerate degrading treatment.
—Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 4 Nov. 2025
Charles Rolsky, executive director and senior research scientist at the Shaw Institute, a nonprofit focusing on the links between environmental and human health, says that many studies, including his own, suggest PVA can pass through wastewater treatment without completely degrading.
—Matt Fuchs, Time, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for degrading
Cite this Entry
“Degrading.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/degrading. Accessed 11 Dec. 2025.
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