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

Noun

• decadence
• declension
• declination
• decline
• degeneracy
• degeneration
• degradation
• dégringolade
• descent
• deterioration
• devolution
• downfall
• ebb
• eclipse
• fall

Verb

• break
• bust
• degrade
• demote
• disrate
• 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

Consumer spending also slowed sharply, expanding just 0.5%, down from a robust 4% in fourth-quarter 2024 and a sharp downgrade from the Commerce Department’s previous estimate. —Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2025

The downgrade to a notch above junk was based on loans extended to countries that have defaulted on their obligations. —Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 25 June 2025

Verb

The pending legislation proved the final straw for Moody’s, which in May became the last of the three major credit agencies to downgrade the U.S. from its top rung of borrowers. —Greg McKenna, Fortune, 29 June 2025

Analyst David George downgraded JPMorgan to underperform and Bank of America to neutral, citing a less attractive risk-reward outlook. —Sean Conlon, CNBC, 27 June 2025

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