1
as in reduces
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 deteriorates
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 humiliates
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of degrades
Her current research focuses on trying to understand how human environmental DNA preserves and degrades in sediment through time — on both long and short timescales.
—
Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
The goal is to understand exactly how and why performance degrades over time.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2025
Gasoline mixed with ethanol degrades even faster than pure gasoline and may not even last three months.
—Kamron Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Oct. 2025
The setup only degrades further over the four episodes screened for critics.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
In Brazil, wildcat gold mining degrades the Amazon rainforest and imperils Indigenous groups.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 15 Oct. 2025
This process degrades the mirrors' reflectivity and clarity over time, so technicians regularly recoat and polish them to ensure the best precision.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 6 Oct. 2025
That performance degrades over time.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 3 Oct. 2025
These help slow down the wear and tear that degrades most traditional joysticks over time.
—Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 2 Oct. 2025
Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
The goal is to understand exactly how and why performance degrades over time.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2025
Gasoline mixed with ethanol degrades even faster than pure gasoline and may not even last three months.
—Kamron Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Oct. 2025
The setup only degrades further over the four episodes screened for critics.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
In Brazil, wildcat gold mining degrades the Amazon rainforest and imperils Indigenous groups.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 15 Oct. 2025
This process degrades the mirrors' reflectivity and clarity over time, so technicians regularly recoat and polish them to ensure the best precision.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 6 Oct. 2025
That performance degrades over time.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 3 Oct. 2025
These help slow down the wear and tear that degrades most traditional joysticks over time.
—Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 2 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for degrades
Verb
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This enables continuous charging and reduces the need for large onboard batteries.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Nov. 2025
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As a stocky playmaker who rarely sprints and often reduces the game to walking pace in an increasingly breakneck sport populated by iron men, Cherki’s timing of arrival into English football is where the dichotomy lies.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The Backyard cast also features Katie MacNichol as Gladys’ daughter Ellen, Alexander Ameen as Ellen’s husband Howard, and William Huffaker as a young painter from Boston named Don Bowman whom Gladys seeks to help even as her mental state deteriorates.—
David L. Coddon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Nov. 2025
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As the situation deteriorates, the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany among others have urged their nationals to leave Bamako.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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To show him who’s boss, Catherine turns around and buys Pac-North, humiliates him by closing it, and forces him back to Grey Sloan.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
9 Oct. 2025
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There’s always a moment in which somebody humiliates the villain and now all the love in him is gone.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Lee was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy at age 2, a degenerative disease that gradually weakens muscles.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
6 Nov. 2025
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Unlike some of the burger chain’s peers, Cramer said McDonald’s has immense scale and strength and is making an effort to lower prices as consumer spending weakens.—
Julie Coleman,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Yet despite its popularity, research discredits this long-standing belief.—
Taryn White,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Rather than simply attacking YoungBoy, Choppa frames himself as a corrective force, casting YoungBoy as someone who corrupts impressionable listeners.—
Jayson Buford,
Rolling Stone,
3 Nov. 2025
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Absolute power corrupts absolutely.—
Heidi Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The razor-sharp slasher, which leans into and subverts genre tropes, also stars Drew Barrymore, Neve Campbell, Rose McGowan, Courtney Cox, Jamie Kennedy and David Arquette, among others.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
2 Nov. 2025
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Kon subverts slasher tropes and nimbly toys with reality, constantly upending audience expectations and keeping us on our toes.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Opponents argue that the new map dilutes the voting power of Black residents in eastern North Carolina.—
Adam Wagner,
NPR,
21 Oct. 2025
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Yes, growth is tempting — launching podcasts, videos, new products — but every expansion dilutes focus.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Degrades.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degrades. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.
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