as in corrupt
having or showing lowered moral character or standards
many observers deplored the fact that the city's festivities for Mardi Gras had become a degraded, drunken celebration
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in reduced
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deteriorated
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
degrading the school's animal mascot with a silly costume
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in humiliated
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of degraded
Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 22 Aug. 2025
Developers complained of degraded performance.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2025
James Parker, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2025
This ensured the material came fresh out of Enceladus’s subsurface and had not been altered or degraded by cosmic radiation.
—Jacek Krywko, Scientific American, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for degraded
Adjective
Yet, as Beech pointed out, a lot of the material goods actually from the ‘70s are of a lower quality than earlier decades and also more degraded than the period relics of the ‘80s and ‘90s.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 22 Aug. 2025
Developers complained of degraded performance.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2025
Verb
Which is good news, because there’s no question that the general imaginative environment has degraded significantly.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2025
This ensured the material came fresh out of Enceladus’s subsurface and had not been altered or degraded by cosmic radiation.
—Jacek Krywko, Scientific American, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for degraded
Recent Examples of Synonyms for degraded
Adjective
-
Elliot Richardson, the Attorney General, resigned -- resigned rather than carry out the corrupt orders of the president.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Eric Adams, who started his career as a transit cop, was undone in part by his dealings with corrupt old friends from the department.—
Eric Lach,
New Yorker,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In return, the US has reduced tariffs on Japanese goods, including cars, to a baseline of 15%.—
Hanako Montgomery,
CNN Money,
11 Oct. 2025
-
All spending was re-evaluated, vendor contracts renegotiated, staffing reduced and space consolidated to save maintenance costs.—
Jan Goldsmith,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Sky’s friendship with her former Damage Control stablemates deteriorated in recent weeks as Sky’s relationship with Ripley has grown.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
11 Oct. 2025
-
But as the issues with Prince Harry have reportedly been getting better in the last few months, with the two even meeting in person for the first time in over a year in September, the relationship with his oldest son and heir, Prince William, has reportedly deteriorated.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
They got humiliated in their two Division Series games in Toronto, got a reprieve in the form of Aaron Judge’s all-around brilliance in Game 3 and then got eliminated by the Blue Jays on Wednesday night, losing 5-2 in Game 4 while showing no sudden-death fight whatsoever.—
Ian O'Connor,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
-
An Italian activist who was part of the Gaza aid flotilla and subsequently detained by Israel has described allegations of being mistreated and humiliated while in Israeli custody, with little access to legal assistance.—
Catherine Nicholls,
CNN Money,
6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Without a promise of pay, many air traffic controllers have called in sick or just not shown up for work.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Egg prices fell a bit, fewer sick poultry flocks were culled on farms and officials took a breath.—
Christian Orozco,
NBC news,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Of note, the network demoted (and then extended) Doris Burke, while Tim Legler got called up to the finals team with Breen and Richard Jefferson.—
Jenny Catlin,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Flacco played in four games for Cleveland in 2025, starting all of them and leading the team to a 1-3 mark before he was demoted in favor of Gabriel.—
Max Dible,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Files were easily lost or corrupted.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Democrats and civil libertarians said Trump corrupted the system of justice by getting involved.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Colorado contends its law simply regulates licensed therapists by banning a practice that major medical groups have deemed harmful and discredited.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Over time, as research increasingly pointed to genetics as a major factor in autism, the theory was discredited.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Degraded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degraded. Accessed 13 Oct. 2025.
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