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
If a stick of RAM issues a hardware warning or a disk array degrades in a production hypervisor, AI can automatically migrate customer and internal workloads to healthy machines.
—
Bratin Saha, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
His attorney’s entire strategy is to humiliate and degrade any woman, including both Patti and Nan, who takes the stand.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 30 July 2025
Poor sizing can result in uneven temperatures, higher utility bills, potentially shorter equipment lifespan, and degraded indoor air quality.
—Brynn Cooksey, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
In April, Hamdan Ballal, another of the film’s co-directors, was beaten and degraded by Israeli settlers, then blindfolded and detained at an army base, only weeks after winning an Oscar.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for degrade
Bratin Saha, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
His attorney’s entire strategy is to humiliate and degrade any woman, including both Patti and Nan, who takes the stand.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 30 July 2025
Poor sizing can result in uneven temperatures, higher utility bills, potentially shorter equipment lifespan, and degraded indoor air quality.
—Brynn Cooksey, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
In April, Hamdan Ballal, another of the film’s co-directors, was beaten and degraded by Israeli settlers, then blindfolded and detained at an army base, only weeks after winning an Oscar.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for degrade
Recent Examples of Synonyms for degrade
Verb
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Over the past year, the co-CEOs have executed a plan to shave off $500 million in costs, sell off assets and reduce a workforce by more than 15 percent as Paramount shifts ownership.—
Erik Hayden,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Aug. 2025
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Those fine particles can stick together tightly, reducing pore space for water to move through or percolate.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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But this week, the situation in Donetsk has rapidly deteriorated, with Russian forces making important advances to the north east of Dobropilia, altering control of the area Witkoff has been discussing with the Kremlin.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
14 Aug. 2025
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But after the Sriracha-maker callously withheld payments from Underwood, the relationship deteriorated and litigation followed.—
Kate Vitasek,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Luthor’s ultimate defeat is an unmasking that humiliates him by confirming his own worst fears about himself.—
Matt Zoller Seitz,
Vulture,
16 July 2025
-
Coach Ruben Amorim publicly humiliated him before a loan move to Aston Villa for the final half of the campaign.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
20 July 2025
Verb
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Merrill was then demoted from co-anchor of the Weekday Morning Show to working weekend nights.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
6 Aug. 2025
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In season eight, Scheana was suddenly demoted from full-time cast member to being paid a day rate with little explanation.—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
28 July 2025
Verb
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For Trump, whose political brand has long relied on projecting authenticity to his base, a sustained decline in honesty ratings could weaken his ability to roll out his agenda.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Aug. 2025
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But Goolsbee said Trump’s immigration crackdown likely has affected population growth and the jobs numbers, but that doesn’t mean the labor market has substantially weakened.—
Paul Davidson,
USA Today,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
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During the two-month trial, Combs’ defense attorneys focused much of their efforts on questioning – and attempting to discredit – witnesses brought forth by the prosecution.—
Elizabeth Wagmeister,
CNN Money,
5 Aug. 2025
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Activists have worked steadily to discredit stories about famine.—
Ruth Margalit,
New Yorker,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The lineup features dramas, comedies, documentaries, thrillers, horror science fiction and several films that subvert the conventions of genre like Kathryn Bigelow’s A House of Dynamite, Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind and Mark Jenkin’s Rose of Nevada.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
5 Aug. 2025
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Both Smith and former Attorney General Merrick Garland repeatedly maintained prior to departing office that none of the actions taken in either the classified documents investigation or the probe of Trump's efforts to subvert his 2020 election loss were driven by politics.—
Alexander Mallin,
ABC News,
2 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The Dodgers embarrassed them on the field and then hit the podcast circuit to shame them some more, ridiculing their defense, their baserunning, their lack of composure and even their unnecessary visits to the mound.—
Ian O'Connor,
New York Times,
1 Aug. 2025
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Big yikes: This is a sarcastic phrase to publicly mock or shame someone for a cringey comment, outfit, or behavior and is used to embarrass others in group chats or social media.—
Sherri Gordon,
Parents,
21 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Degrade.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degrade. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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