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
Monica Marks, Time, 19 Sep. 2025
In some cases, performance degraded despite having access to better tools.
—Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 17 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
The future of the Abraham Accords Israel’s war in Gaza and its drive to establish military dominance in the Middle East have degraded the Abraham Accords but will not disintegrate the agreement.
—Monica Marks, Time, 19 Sep. 2025
In some cases, performance degraded despite having access to better tools.
—Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for degraded
Recent Examples of Synonyms for degraded
Adjective
-
Our institutions are failing us — either corrupt or underfunded, gutted and useless — and we’re absorbed with stories of characters that manage to save themselves, and on their own terms.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
28 Sep. 2025
-
That failure was on corrupt leadership.—
Emma Marsden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
But a House Fiscal Agency report shows that total artificially reduced by the way billions in federal funding is accounted for, by moving Medicaid money to contingency funds where they are not included in the budget total.—
Paul Egan,
Freep.com,
3 Oct. 2025
-
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the federal spending on Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP — another priority for Democrats — will be reduced by more than $1 trillion over the next decade as a result of provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill.—
Scott Neuman,
NPR,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
But internal emails, police reports and interviews with current and former Division of Youth Services staff members show leadership grew increasingly worried as safety conditions deteriorated inside the Golden campus.—
Sam Tabachnik,
Denver Post,
26 Sep. 2025
-
The scene deteriorated further when Grosjean failed to emerge from the wreck.—
Saajan Jogia,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Sitting in class next to a star athlete destined for Division I football, the future comedy mogul listened as his teacher publicly humiliated him in front of his peers.—
Essence,
Essence,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Is he humiliated by being asked to leave surreptitiously for Olivia’s amusement, or is this a game for him too?—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But as that incident demonstrated, even a small number of controllers calling in sick can have a big impact.—
Joel Rose,
NPR,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Austin Hedges gets sick to his stomach before postseason games.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
But Old Man Nate’s ascension to the big four means Jawan has been officially demoted to the minor leagues.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 Oct. 2025
-
The character is a former tactical officer demoted to patrol by her supervisor after noting his tendencies to avoid any real work to preserve his pension.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Democrats and civil libertarians said Trump corrupted the system of justice by getting involved.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Of course, what that sets up, in the game of Survivor, is someone ready to be corrupted.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Over time, as research increasingly pointed to genetics as a major factor in autism, the theory was discredited.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
26 Sep. 2025
-
But many climate scientists have discredited this argument, saying that freezing events can take place even amid climate change—but as time goes on, those cold events will happen less often and won’t last as long.—
Chantelle Lee,
Time,
23 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Degraded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degraded. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
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