DEGRADE Synonyms: 173 Similar and Opposite Words

degrade

verb

di-ˈgrād

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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Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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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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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 Decades of such spills and gas flares polluted and degraded the natural environment, while successive Nigerian governments failed to develop our economies. —

Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026 The Pentagon and Israel's military say those strikes have severely degraded Iran's ability to launch missile and drone attacks, though Iranian missiles have continued to cause damage and claim lives in Gulf states and Israel this week. —

CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026 However, a stray thermal vibration can scramble qubit states in quantum computing or degrade the coherence in quantum sensors. —

Etiido Uko march 23, New Atlas, 23 Mar. 2026 Try not to handle it too much with your bare hands, as the oils contained in your skin can degrade precious samples contained within the ancient meteorite, which dates back to the formation of the solar system. —

Anthony Wood, Space.com, 23 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for degrade

Recent Examples of Synonyms for degrade

Verb

To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air-conditioned environments.

— CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 24 Mar. 2026
Gold has been one of the better-performing assets over the past year, and when markets get choppy, leveraged funds and institutional investors tend to reduce exposure.

— Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 24 Mar. 2026