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 downgrade takes Percoco out of the majority on Wall Street, with most analysts holding either a strong buy or buy rating, according to LSEG. —Alex Harring, CNBC, 7 Dec. 2025

The trade-off is that the plan restricts the download rate to 100Mbps, a significant downgrade from the 250Mbps and up to 400Mbps+ speeds of Residential Lite and Residential. —PC Magazine, 26 Nov. 2025

Verb

Counterpoint said some companies may downgrade components like camera modules, displays and even audio, as well as reusing old components. —Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 16 Dec. 2025

Consumers must pay the higher costs or downgrade to a less expensive Obamacare plan. —Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 13 Dec. 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