1
as in to reduce
to bring to a lower grade or rank
the view that such a system degrades doctors to the status of medical employees who ultimately are not in charge of their patients' health care
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to deteriorate
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
degrading the school's animal mascot with a silly costume
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to humiliate
to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes
the players degraded themselves with their crude antics off the field
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of degrade
Accurate predictions of when and where an uncontrolled spacecraft will fall back to Earth can be difficult to make because the process is influenced by atmospheric dynamics, space weather and the probe’s positioning as its orbit degrades.
—
Denise Chow, NBC news, 10 Mar. 2026
Militarily, the campaign has effectively degraded the Islamic Republic’s warmaking capacities.
—Karim Sadjadpour, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2026
In July 2025, Delfin signed agreements with three communities along the Marañón River to restore and replant 425 acres of land degraded by clear-cutting and harmful agricultural practices.
—Lale Arikoglu, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Mar. 2026
Now both the stock and value of its human capital is degrading, and almost no one is doing anything to stop it.
—Allison Schrager, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for degrade
Denise Chow, NBC news, 10 Mar. 2026
Militarily, the campaign has effectively degraded the Islamic Republic’s warmaking capacities.
—Karim Sadjadpour, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2026
In July 2025, Delfin signed agreements with three communities along the Marañón River to restore and replant 425 acres of land degraded by clear-cutting and harmful agricultural practices.
—Lale Arikoglu, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Mar. 2026
Now both the stock and value of its human capital is degrading, and almost no one is doing anything to stop it.
—Allison Schrager, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for degrade
Recent Examples of Synonyms for degrade
Verb
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The thinking, according to airport officials, is to encourage riders to use the yet-to-open Automated People Mover, also known as Skylink, and to reduce vehicle traffic around the terminals.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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From the guest's POV, drinking water is provided in reusable glass bottles, with water refilling stations across the property, and restaurant ingredients are sourced from the nearby partner South Farm and local suppliers to reduce the carbon footprint and support the community.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Their goal was to get control over their local water supply like their neighbors, in order to upgrade deteriorating infrastructure and rein in rising water rates.—
Tara Molina,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2026
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The turtle slows, more organisms attach, and the animal’s condition deteriorates.—
Ryan Brennan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But no one here is out to humiliate anyone, which is nasty and unkind and not at all the sort of humor Lawrence trades in.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Walz and Ellison were humiliated and could not account for their blundering.—
Joe Soucheray,
Twin Cities,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Or, rather, demoted her to United States Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, whatever that is.—
Clarence Page,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Mar. 2026
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In late January, the president put border czar Tom Homan in charge of the crackdown, effectively demoting the Border Patrol’s Greg Bovino.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Under this model, airlines, hotels, and other end-service providers may benefit, while intermediaries such as ticket booking platforms and price comparison websites may see their roles weakened.—
,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2026
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This weakens the plant and can cause dieback.—
Steve Bender,
Southern Living,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Election experts widely discredited the review as shoddy and partisan.—
Benjamin Swasey,
NPR,
9 Mar. 2026
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These accusations are coming from far-right and far-left accounts as well as anti-Israel groups, such as Students for Justice in Palestine, that are inclined to discredit Israel.—
Andrew Silow-Carroll,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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With Manhunt, Felker-Martin subverts this convention, creating a post-contagion world in which trans women (and men and nonbinary people) not only exist but tell the story themselves across multiple viewpoint characters.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Mar. 2026
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The seven-part limited series, which aired its second episode Sunday, subverts expectations at every turn, from its peculiar characters to the layered storytelling of writer-showrunner-director Steven Conrad to the nuanced performances of an enviable cast.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Americans were left to root for the same team that embarrassed them, and that team delivered.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
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On Tuesday night, as the NFL world reeled with the Maxx Crosby news and the NBA was starry-eyed at Bam Adebayo’s 83-point game, the rest of us were watching Team Italy embarrass the good ol’ US of A with an 8-6 win in the World Baseball Classic.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Degrade.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degrade. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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