Synonyms of degrade

degrade

verb

di-ˈgrād 

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

• reduce
• demote
• downgrade
• dismiss
• can
• bust
• sack
• break
• disrate
• debase
• humiliate
• demean
• lay off
• downsize
• fire
• abase
• lower
• humble
• cashier

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• promote
• raise
• advance
• elevate
• hire

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

• deteriorate
• weaken
• humiliate
• subvert
• dilute
• destroy
• corrupt
• debase
• demean
• poison
• ruin
• lessen
• cheapen
• damage
• pervert
• pollute
• debauch
• deprave
• abase
• vitiate
• demoralize
• contaminate
• mar
• impair
• bastardize
• disgrace
• prostitute
• hurt
• taint
• warp
• dirty
• shame
• harm
• profane
• humble
• spoil
• canker
• defile
• thin
• tarnish
• wreck
• dishonor
• water down
• flaw
• stain
• befoul
• depreciate
• deface
• descend
• begrime
• downgrade
• take down
• blemish

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• improve
• elevate
• uplift
• enhance
• better
• honor
• exalt
• enrich
• ennoble
• amend
• perfect
• ameliorate
• restore
• dignify
• refine
• clarify
• purify
• clean
• cleanse
• respect
• meliorate

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

• humiliate
• discredit
• embarrass
• debase
• demean
• confuse
• shame
• humble
• disgrace
• cheapen
• dishonor
• insult
• diminish
• abase
• rattle
• lower
• take down
• chasten
• minimize
• criticize
• detract
• foul
• smirch
• sink
• disparage
• belittle
• mortify
• depreciate
• ridicule
• confound
• disconcert
• defame
• faze
• malign
• discountenance
• decry
• defile
• condemn
• slander
• fluster
• libel
• discount
• castigate
• affront
• discomfit
• write off
• denounce
• abash
• put down
• cry down
• bad-mouth
• nonplus
• damn
• censure
• execrate
• reprehend
• reprobate

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• elevate
• exalt
• honor
• recognize
• aggrandize
• boast
• celebrate
• commend
• cite
• acknowledge
• applaud
• compliment
• decorate
• deify
• extol
• canonize
• congratulate
• tout
• praise
• cheer
• laud
• salute
• hail
• eulogize
• highlight
• promote
• acclaim
• ennoble
• glorify
• dignify
• magnify
• fete
• raise
• advance
• enshrine
• play up
• upgrade
• lift
• boost
• uplift
• enthrone
• spotlight
• idealize
• romanticize
• ensky

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of degrade

For one thing, after a few plays, the cylinder’s surface degraded, and the wax needed to be scraped and rerecorded. — Steven Johnson, Washington Post, 14 July 2026

Invasive plants, classified as non-native species causing harm to ecosystems, threaten biodiversity, and degrade soil. — Erica Browne Grivas, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 July 2026

Perhaps, then, what captivates us is a kind of redemption story—the seductive idea that technology can not only repair nature but absolve us for having degraded it. — Taylor Dotson, Scientific American, 10 July 2026

But when sports leagues add games, the experience for fans degrades in a way that doesn’t always show up in the dollars and cents. — Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 10 July 2026