1
as in to reduce
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to deteriorate
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 to humiliate
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
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
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of degrade
Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 31 Mar. 2026
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israeli strikes have killed several Iranian nuclear scientists, framing the campaign as part of a broader effort to degrade Iran’s nuclear program.
—Adam Pourahmadi, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
Nick Nuttall, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
The viewers are confronted with the testimonies of Sabouni, Mahmoud Kadah, Abdelkafi Alhaj, Mohammad Hamki and Abdelhamid Jadou, all of whom suffered horrific, degrading treatment.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 28 Jan. 2026
Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 22 Mar. 2026
What the President is doing here, which is taking out- degrading Iran's capability to be, again, an exporter of chaos, sheer chaos to the region, to the world.
—CBS News, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for degrade
Verb
The findings help explain why batteries often degrade faster than expected, especially under heavy use.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 31 Mar. 2026
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israeli strikes have killed several Iranian nuclear scientists, framing the campaign as part of a broader effort to degrade Iran’s nuclear program.
—Adam Pourahmadi, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
Currently the funds spent by governments and the private sector on destroying biodiversty and degrading cosystems like forests and seagrasses are 30 times larger than the flows supporting conservation, restoration and protection of the natural world.
—Nick Nuttall, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
The viewers are confronted with the testimonies of Sabouni, Mahmoud Kadah, Abdelkafi Alhaj, Mohammad Hamki and Abdelhamid Jadou, all of whom suffered horrific, degrading treatment.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 28 Jan. 2026
Verb
The comments highlight growing concerns among international observers that the current conflict, while degrading Iran’s infrastructure, may not prevent the country from eventually rebuilding its nuclear program.
—Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 22 Mar. 2026
What the President is doing here, which is taking out- degrading Iran's capability to be, again, an exporter of chaos, sheer chaos to the region, to the world.
—CBS News, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for degrade
Recent Examples of Synonyms for degrade
Adjective
-
The cast’s sole survivor is Jessica Hecht, who pours miraculous warmth and complexity into her faintly insulting role as Colleen, the head teller, a morally upright spinster goosed by her flirtation with Sonny and the spotlight.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Drawing parallels between this unpopular war and World War II is ludicrous and insulting.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The epitome of narcissism, demeaning and denigrating others upon their deaths (John McCain, Rob Reiner) who’ve displeased him is nothing new, but the Mueller post sinks to a new low.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
30 Mar. 2026
-
To emphasize that new technology can’t change bad behavior, Josh mirrors many of the same demeaning and destructive traits of showrunner Paulie G (Lance Barber), the antagonist of Seasons One and Two.—
Jennifer Silverman,
Rolling Stone,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The malicious actor hacked into Weiss’s contact’s Telegram, arranged a video call with him, and attempted to run a script on his computer to get his passwords.—
Carlos Garcia,
Fortune,
2 Apr. 2026
-
There’s nothing malicious or negative about [their split].—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Lorincz admitted to calling children in the neighborhood racial slurs and other derogatory terms in the past, according to a police report.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Which, basically, is a GEEK, or NERD, or BLERD (a Black nerd), or FANBOY, or FANGIRL, none of which are used here in any derogatory way, and are generally interchangeable.—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Arguments surrounding coercion, particularly when an abusive partner controls a victim’s reproductive care, became a major theme for the plaintiffs’ legal case.—
Geoff Mulvihill,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
-
The evidence will show the Court that Dakota has been the primary aggressor and has been violent and abusive toward me.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
While Trump’s talk of a possible NATO pullout dates back years, the comments to The Telegraph newspaper in the U.K., published Wednesday, were among the clearest and most disparaging yet — suggesting that the fracture has deepened perhaps to a point of no return.—
Jill Lawless,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
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The irony is that Trump has been more disparaging and dismissive of the military than any other president.—
Joe Garofoli,
San Francisco Chronicle,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
On Thursday, a group of bipartisan lawmakers introduced the Multilateral Alignment of Technology Controls on Hardware (MATCH) Act, designed to cut China off from chipmaking tools and target the country’s most critical semiconductor firms.—
Arjun Kharpal,
CNBC,
7 Apr. 2026
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Businesses along the Watt Avenue corridor say opening the shelter is critical to reducing neighborhood crime and blight.—
James Taylor,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Degrade.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degrade. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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