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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deteriorating
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 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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of degrading
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 5 Aug. 2025
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
Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2025
People start degrading in health after age 60 or 65.
—Alice Park, Time, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for degrading
Adjective
In a degrading battery, the researchers observed two key signs of trouble.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 5 Aug. 2025
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
Verb
The research revealed a strong correlation between microbial plastic-degrading potential and global plastic pollution levels, suggesting bacteria are adapting to what’s available.
—Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2025
People start degrading in health after age 60 or 65.
—Alice Park, Time, 9 Oct. 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
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Perkins said the drink bore the insulting message.—
Victoria Moorwood,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Solutions like breathable film packaging and smart logistics play a crucial role in reducing waste and prolonging shelf life.—
William Jones,
Freep.com,
27 Oct. 2025
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Adopting a healthy lifestyle, including diet, exercise, sleep, maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding sugar, eliminating tobacco, and curbing or skipping alcoholic beverages altogether, play a role in reducing early breast cancer recurrence.—
Marnie Goodfriend,
Flow Space,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Instead, the property has passed hands from private owner to private owner, hidden from view off a lonely winding road, slowly deteriorating over the years.—
Amanda Rosa
October 23,
Miami Herald,
23 Oct. 2025
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Grid operators are warning of steep increases in electricity demand for the first time in decades, leading utilities to race to expand capacity by reviving plans for natural-gas plants or building new ones, and, in some regions, even extending the life of deteriorating coal facilities.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
22 Oct. 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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Considering this poor return (scoring points was a key target in demoting Doohan for Colapinto), Briatore acknowledged during the Dutch GP weekend that Alpine may have unnecessarily burdened its young Argentine driver.—
Madeline Coleman,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
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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
Verb
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But the church also taught that the power of music could be corrupting.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
18 Oct. 2025
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Tales From Beyond the Pale co-creator Glenn McQuaid unleashes a Jason Voorhees whose appearance is concealed not by a hockey mask but a squiggly blur of video noise, corrupting the handheld footage of him stalking college kids through the woods.—
A.A. Dowd,
Vulture,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Already, Cuba’s top diplomats have been sharing propaganda content discrediting Machado as a warmonger.—
Nora Gamez Torres,
Miami Herald,
10 Oct. 2025
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There would be accusations of race manipulation, an online mob discrediting Wallace’s win as undeserved, and an angry Joe Gibbs Racing organization, which would now realize Hamlin puts another team’s interests ahead of their own.—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But parading around half-naked at competitions felt demeaning.—
Sean Williams,
Outside,
27 Oct. 2025
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What once was aberrant—indeed, unimaginable—is now standard Trump fare, demeaning not only to the Presidency but to the rule of law.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
9 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Degrading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degrading. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
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