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
Nonstick coatings in particular can degrade quickly in these conditions.
—
Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 14 Sep. 2025
Losing one or several satellites to an attack would not degrade the constellation's overall capability.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2025
This rampant, unauthorized AI use degrades the educational experience of individual students who overly rely on the technology and those who wish to avoid using it.
—Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 11 Sep. 2025
For Mono County, which was issued by NWS Reno, the advisory warned that dense smoke was reducing visibility to 1 mile or less and also degrading air quality.
—Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for degrade
Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 14 Sep. 2025
Losing one or several satellites to an attack would not degrade the constellation's overall capability.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2025
This rampant, unauthorized AI use degrades the educational experience of individual students who overly rely on the technology and those who wish to avoid using it.
—Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 11 Sep. 2025
For Mono County, which was issued by NWS Reno, the advisory warned that dense smoke was reducing visibility to 1 mile or less and also degrading air quality.
—Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for degrade
Recent Examples of Synonyms for degrade
Verb
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The researchers believe that the benefit likely comes from aspirin acting in several ways – by reducing inflammation and inhibiting platelet function and tumor growth.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
18 Sep. 2025
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In 2016, court filings indicate Gamez Lira was charged with possession of marijuana but ultimately pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct after the charges were reduced.—
Armando Garcia,
ABC News,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In San Francisco, a development called Hunters View built in 1956 to provide temporary workforce housing was still inhabited and badly deteriorating by the early 2000s.—
Jeffrey Steele,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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But the relations have deteriorated significantly since the start of the war in Gaza, with Israeli officials voicing growing anger at Qatar, accusing the government of harboring Hamas and not putting enough pressure on it to agree to a ceasefire.—
Oren Liebermann,
CNN Money,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Continually moving the goalposts or using testing to humiliate or control can cause relational harm.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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And Sacks, a PayPal Mafia member and veteran Silicon Valley investor, is just the sort of titan of industry this town routinely devours and humiliates — from Rex Tillerson to, well, Elon Musk.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Elsewhere in the state, last year’s recipients—Beckon in Denver, Bosq in Aspen, Brutø in Denver, and Frasca Food and Wine—all retained their one-star status, while no restaurants were demoted this year.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
16 Sep. 2025
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Sunday, Denver’s defense will demote him to Daniel Jones again.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Foreign powers such as Russia and China, which challenge America and its allies from Europe to the Middle East to Taiwan and the South China Sea, have long been accused of exploiting such divisions through disinformation campaigns that inflame tensions and weaken confidence in American governance.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
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But around the equinoxes, the natural buffer weakens.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Holmes likewise discredited the MS-13 accusation, for which prosecutors relied on the testimony of coöperating witnesses who either contradicted one another or were otherwise unreliable.—
Cristian Farias,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
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The Cordell report has since been discredited — missing transcripts, factual errors and even confusion of key witnesses.—
Matthew J. Frauenfeld,
Mercury News,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Those tactics are also used to generate funds meant to help the regime subvert international sanctions and develop its nuclear weapons programs, according to the US government.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
14 Sep. 2025
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Consistently subverting audience expectations, Don’t Breathe features an incredibly twisted game of cat-and-mouse.—
Yasmeen Hamadeh,
PEOPLE,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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We wouldn’t be embarrassed by it, nor would the audience.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
12 Sep. 2025
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What People Are Saying Maritime analysts have weighed in on the nature reserve declaration, with some linking it to the August 11 collision that embarrassed Beijing.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Degrade.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degrade. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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