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
• disgrace
• cheapen
• humble
• 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
• castigate
• discount
• 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

These prediction market partnerships have, for some, become emblematic of what fans see as unfettered greed on the part of teams, players, leagues and platforms believed to be degrading their experience of sports writ large. — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026

The new generation of therapeutic peptides is chemically modified to resist breakdown in the gastrointestinal tract, where traditional peptide drugs degrade before they can be absorbed. — Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026

These do convey a sense of disassociation fitting for a woman like Colette, who seems to leave her body in the midst of her degrading work, but in this case, the repetition does not build or reveal more emotion. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026

The partnership aims to keep the platform connected when military operations disrupt or degrade individual network links. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2026