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
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
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
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Protective styles like low buns or braids can also reduce frizz throughout the day.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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In her tenure, Colorado has taken major steps to increase price transparency, reduce hospital and prescription drug costs, and hold the health care industry accountable.—
Shaun Boyd,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For years, lawyers have alleged that inmates receive expired, undercooked or contaminated food, including spoiled meat and deteriorated dairy products.—
Michael Rios,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2026
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Now the war has turned into a race to stabilize the rapidly deteriorating global economic order, central to which is reopening the Strait of Hormuz.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Well, everyone in show business has to humiliate themselves sometimes.—
Katherine Turman,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
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But some Cubans still revere the 1959 revolution, and, as one foreign official told us, have no desire to humiliate Raúl Castro (Fidel’s 94-year-old brother and a former president), or even Díaz-Canel, who is widely viewed as a weak bureaucrat.—
Sarah Fitzpatrick,
The Atlantic,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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After all, his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, demoted him as a working royal but didn’t do much else and provided him with the money to pay a settlement to Virginia Giuffre.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
18 Mar. 2026
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Just beware of adding something really wacky—like raisins—or you’ll be put on potluck probation and demoted to plate-and-napkin duty.—
Josh Miller,
Southern Living,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But the president contends there is no excuse for the lack of participation now that Iran's navy has been sunk and its air defenses severely weakened.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
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In the state’s view, that weakens or muddies the legal boundary between the two types of gambling venues.—
Amanda Greenwood,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Dublin congressman told KRON that the White House hopes to discredit him in the race as a frequent critic and to boost the chances of his Republican rivals.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
29 Mar. 2026
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That is certainly one way to discredit someone.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Both its physical abilities and global history actively subvert the philosopher’s aphorism.—
Andrés Muedano,
JSTOR Daily,
25 Mar. 2026
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The play subverts itself, never allowing an audience to gain a commanding foothill, even at the end when (suffice it to say) the watchers become the watched.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Harbaugh has taken a blow torch to the Giants’ embarrassing special teams unit.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
25 Mar. 2026
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Tonight’s ceremony had none of the major dramatic mishaps that have both embarrassed the Academy Awards’ organizers and affirmed the event’s status as must-see live TV.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Degrade.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degrade. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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