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

The Titan 2 Elite has a smaller 4,050mAh battery, a downgrade from the Titan 2's 5,050mAh cell, that charges at up to 33W when plugged in. — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 3 Aug. 2026

That led to midyear cuts, layoffs, furlough days and a string of crisis borrowing and credit downgrades that the district is still paying off today, officials said. — Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2026

Verb

Club name Salesforce was downgraded to hold from buy on concerns that an Agentforce inflection won't happen soon enough to offset weakness in legacy products. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 21 July 2026

Typically, athletic footwear brands will reissue retro models with technology that has become dated and in some cases, will even downgrade the materials as a cost-cutting measure. — Riley Jones, Footwear News, 21 July 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