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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of degrade
Similarly, the Waterloo team engineered a cascade reaction pathway that incrementally degrades plastic polymers into acetic acid.
—
Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 23 Feb. 2026
Hypothermia would quickly sap your ability to think clearly and degrade your motor functions, eventually leading to cardiac arrhythmia, loss of consciousness, and cardiac arrest.
—Alan Bradley, Space.com, 21 Feb. 2026
It’s stored on hard drives that degrade over time.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 20 Feb. 2026
Shields protect us from radiation, which degrades pretty much every tissue in the human body.
—Big Think, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for degrade
Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 23 Feb. 2026
Hypothermia would quickly sap your ability to think clearly and degrade your motor functions, eventually leading to cardiac arrhythmia, loss of consciousness, and cardiac arrest.
—Alan Bradley, Space.com, 21 Feb. 2026
It’s stored on hard drives that degrade over time.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 20 Feb. 2026
Shields protect us from radiation, which degrades pretty much every tissue in the human body.
—Big Think, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for degrade
Recent Examples of Synonyms for degrade
Verb
-
But in the long run, that doesn’t do anything to dismantle networks of criminality or reduce the size of their operations.—
Angélica Durán-Martínez,
The Conversation,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Others have sought to use cloud seeding to disperse fog at airports, tackle air pollution, reduce hail damage or even to manipulate the weather for major events, such as the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
On January 8, when thousands took to the streets in Tehran to protest deteriorating living conditions, Abolfazl was among them.—
Jomana Karadsheh,
CNN Money,
26 Feb. 2026
-
In an environment defined by market volatility, stubborn inflation and deteriorating correlations between traditional assets, gold's role has become harder to argue against.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Most casual fans could spend their entire lives studying a library’s worth of chess theory, only to still be routinely humiliated by competitive players.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Fatme feels humiliated, but Toha is too busy plotting how to return from her rundown village near the Nile.—
Alissa Simon,
Variety,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
With the arrival of John Harbaugh at the Giants and the appointment of Dawn Aponte, Joe Schoen seemingly has been demoted/relegated to only scouting.—
Chad Graff,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
-
The 30-year-old said that the whirlwind experience — being traded, shaving his bushy beard, disappointing his new team and getting demoted in less than a week’s time — taught him a lot about himself.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
While speculation has focused on the possibility of two Republicans advancing, the more likely scenario is that only one GOP candidate reaches November — and does so weakened.—
Barnini Chakraborty,
The Washington Examiner,
24 Feb. 2026
-
The effect occurs because friction between grains drops sharply under fast loads, weakening the internal force networks that normally support the material.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
All four men were subjected to police interrogation techniques that are now widely discredited for leading to false confessions.—
Austin Sanders,
Austin American Statesman,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Meta’s lawyers have so far sought to discredit the idea of social media addiction, while simultaneously casting doubt on whether Kaley actually has it.—
Sonja Sharp,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
After all, one of the persistent impulses of modern art has been to antagonize people of correct sensibilities, to subvert their cherished institutions.—
Sean Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
-
While most women figure skaters are known to sport pristine buns and dance to very predictable classics and pop songs, Alysa Liu subverts the norm.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Noah Silver, Boca Raton Americans may need a refresher on why Attorney General Pam Bondi continues to embarrass herself and her office.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Feb. 2026
-
From that moment on, the guard helped the Hornets thoroughly embarrass the team that drafted him into the league, dropping the Bulls 131-99 in their 10th consecutive loss.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Degrade.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degrade. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
