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
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of degrade
Clouds, rain and even tree canopy overhead can further degrade the signal.
—
Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 27 Oct. 2025
The Pentagon said in a statement that the additional forces deployed to the Caribbean would enhance capabilities to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade transnational criminal organizations.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
Paint will degrade over time in unregulated temperatures, especially as weather fluctuates for the seasons, and electronics will collect condensation in their circuit boards, internal pieces, and electrical equipment—all of which will cause warping and corrosion over time.
—Michelle Mastro, Architectural Digest, 23 Oct. 2025
What’s curious, then, is not Trump’s eagerness to degrade us, but his uncontrollable urge to defile himself and his office.
—Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for degrade
Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 27 Oct. 2025
The Pentagon said in a statement that the additional forces deployed to the Caribbean would enhance capabilities to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade transnational criminal organizations.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
Paint will degrade over time in unregulated temperatures, especially as weather fluctuates for the seasons, and electronics will collect condensation in their circuit boards, internal pieces, and electrical equipment—all of which will cause warping and corrosion over time.
—Michelle Mastro, Architectural Digest, 23 Oct. 2025
What’s curious, then, is not Trump’s eagerness to degrade us, but his uncontrollable urge to defile himself and his office.
—Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for degrade
Recent Examples of Synonyms for degrade
Verb
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October has seen 93 blank sailings, up from 58 in September, according to data from maritime research firm Drewry, with container capacity reduced by roughly 7 percent month over month.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
29 Oct. 2025
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By cutting the cost and complexity of closings, the company hopes to expand access to homeownership, reduce fraud, and help smaller regional title firms compete with national giants.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Instead, the property has passed hands from private owner to private owner, hidden from view off a lonely winding road, slowly deteriorating over the years.—
Amanda Rosa
October 23,
Miami Herald,
23 Oct. 2025
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Grid operators are warning of steep increases in electricity demand for the first time in decades, leading utilities to race to expand capacity by reviving plans for natural-gas plants or building new ones, and, in some regions, even extending the life of deteriorating coal facilities.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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There was this huge peak between 2000 and about 2018 where there was a decentralized anti-Fascist movement that’s responsible for Richard Spencer going home, for Matthew Heimbach being humiliated.—
Fiction Non Fiction,
Literary Hub,
23 Oct. 2025
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Pressing for payment could humiliate people, who often arrive with their extended families, Parmar explained, and in a community this close-knit, that could mean losing dozens of patients, including many of the Medicaid patients who keep the clinic afloat.—
Helen Ouyang,
The Atlantic,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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He was demoted as a working royal back in 2022 by his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
28 Oct. 2025
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After a 24-21 loss at Air Force, Cowboys coach Jay Sawvel demoted Jay Johnson from offensive coordinator to analyst.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Losing him for the entire World Series would weaken their already-thin bullpen, and force Roberts to get creative in high-leverage situations after his starting pitcher has been removed.—
Jon Paul Hoornstra,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
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After accounting for lifestyle variables like exercise, the effects weakened a bit as, for example, more active people tend to spend more time outdoors.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The study authors looked at 13 samples and found no traces of typhus, but their work does not discredit the findings of the 2006 study, the researchers noted.—
Taylor Nicioli,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
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Many fans have welcomed her to the two-time winners club, joining the likes of Tony Vlachos and Sandra Diaz-Twine, while others have discredited her triumph.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But Interview With the Vampire set a precedent for transformative TV from the Immortal Universe, its narrative and visual audacity subverting adaptation tropes and genre storytelling by challenging viewers’ notions of immortality, sexuality, and destiny.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
25 Oct. 2025
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But Larry, a true cynic, was stuck in a different time, gagged and bound by a tireless insistence on creating art that subverted and satirized those same good old-fashioned family values.—
Michael Cuby,
Them.,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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For French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin, the heist spotlights embarrassing security failings at one of France’s most venerable institutions.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
21 Oct. 2025
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The New York Mets fell short of the postseason in embarrassing fashion last season, so this offseason is going to be more important than ever.—
Zach Pressnell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Degrade.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degrade. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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