downgrade

1 of 2

noun

down·​grade ˈdau̇n-ˌgrād 

1

: a downward grade (as of a road)

2

: a descent toward an inferior state

a career on the downgrade

downgrade

2 of 2

verb

downgraded; downgrading; downgrades

transitive verb

1

: to lower in quality, value, status, or extent

2

: minimize, depreciate

Synonyms of downgrade

Noun

• deterioration
• decline
• degradation
• declination

Verb

• demote
• reduce

Examples of downgrade in a Sentence

Noun

a downgrade in the company's stock prices

a singing career on the downgrade

Verb

The restaurant was downgraded from three to two stars.

She didn't intend to downgrade the importance of her colleague's work.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Despite the downgrades, the worst of the negativity around software is lifted following the Situational Awareness unwind. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 17 Aug. 2026

Lamont inherited a state that had been struggling for decades with large pension liabilities, unbalanced budgets and multiple credit downgrades from the rating agencies on Wall Street. — Kevin McNabola, Hartford Courant, 16 Aug. 2026

Verb

The bank downgraded the retail name to equal weight from overweight. — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 11 Aug. 2026

Wall Street downgrades Apple With less than one month to go before Tim Cook hands over the Apple CEO reins to John Ternus, the iPhone maker is facing cascading challenges. — Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 11 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1847, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1892, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for downgrade

• afraid
• allayed
• arcade
• arrayed
• assayed
• barmaid
• betrayed
• blockade
• bridesmaid
• brigade
• brocade
• buffeted

Kids Definition

downgrade

1 of 2 noun

down·​grade -ˌgrād 

1

: a downward slope

2

: a lowering toward a worse condition

a neighborhood on the downgrade

downgrade adverb

downgrade

2 of 2 verb

: to lower in grade, rank, or standing