as in insulting
intended to make a person or thing seem of little importance or value
made degrading comments about his so-called friend behind his back
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in reducing
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 deteriorating
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 humiliating
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 degrading
ArsTechnica, 14 July 2025
Another study in Frontiers in Neuroscience found that even moderate, chronic sleep restriction produces cumulative effects, subtly degrading decision quality and emotional regulation over time.
—Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
Dave Smith, Fortune, 2 Sep. 2025
Airstrikes, however, won’t be any more effective at degrading the cartels or diminishing the flow of drugs into the United States than ground operations would be.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Mercury News, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for degrading
Adjective
The result is an altering of the model weight by a whopping 216, degrading model accuracy from 80 percent to 0.1 percent, said Gururaj Saileshwar, an assistant professor at the University of Toronto and co-author of an academic paper demonstrating the attack.
—ArsTechnica, 14 July 2025
Another study in Frontiers in Neuroscience found that even moderate, chronic sleep restriction produces cumulative effects, subtly degrading decision quality and emotional regulation over time.
—Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
Verb
Are officials degrading citizens’ Internet access to sell them VPNs?
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 2 Sep. 2025
Airstrikes, however, won’t be any more effective at degrading the cartels or diminishing the flow of drugs into the United States than ground operations would be.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Mercury News, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for degrading
Recent Examples of Synonyms for degrading
Adjective
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To educate all of them in similar ways is insulting, and silly.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Sep. 2025
-
Perkins said the drink bore the insulting message.—
Victoria Moorwood,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Making the swap can save you from packing three extra shoes in your bag, reducing your luggage weight considerably.—
Kelsey Glennon,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Sep. 2025
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Since 2000, investments in reducing malaria have prevented more than 2 billion cases and nearly 13 million deaths, according to the World Health Organization, but recent foreign aid cuts are putting programs to control and eliminate the disease at risk.—
Preeti Jha,
semafor.com,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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What’s desperately needed, Sisti said, are comprehensive investments in mental health — Housing First programs, funding to build up a mental health care workforce, and an easily accessible and coordinated system of voluntary treatment that prevents people from deteriorating on the streets.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
30 Sep. 2025
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In January, construction resumed to close a 100-foot gap and replace a deteriorating border fence in the southwestern area of Friendship Park, located between Playas de Tijuana and Imperial Beach.—
Alexandra Mendoza,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This announcement, humiliating the involved member, is harmful.—
Kelly G. Richardson,
Oc Register,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Spirit has been looking for ways to slash costs, including furloughing and demoting hundreds more pilots and cutting unprofitable routes.—
Leslie Josephs,
CNBC,
26 Aug. 2025
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Spirit is furloughing 270 pilots and demoting an additional 140.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Abbie blames Leila for corrupting her, for using her as a life raft after the death of her sister, and Leila’s heart breaks, leading her to agree to participate in the Leap ceremony the next day.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
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The additional time exposed to harsh radiation is, not surprisingly, corrupting JunoCam's images.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Further discrediting itself, Thursday’s writeup includes a marketing pitch for the SquareX platform.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
28 Aug. 2025
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Wolfenbarger’s defense attorneys began to focus on discrediting Norma as a witness after prosecutors relied on her testimony to show the jury that her daughter Melissa had allegedly suffered abuse at the hands of her husband before her 1998 disappearance, according to WSB-TV.—
Sean Neumann,
People.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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For decades, Indigenous leaders and advocates across the state and country have been trying to convince school communities that the use of such mascots and logos are inappropriate, demeaning and harmful.—
Frank Vaisvilas,
jsonline.com,
29 Aug. 2025
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One detainee who submitted an account to the court that was referenced by Gregorio described sleeping in foul-smelling facilities and facing demeaning treatment by ICE agents.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
12 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Degrading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degrading. Accessed 3 Oct. 2025.
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