degrade 1 of 3

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

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2
3

degrading

2 of 3

adjective

degrading

3 of 3

verb (2)

present participle of degrade
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
3

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of degrade
Verb
They are also linked to U.S. aims of degrading Iran's proxies in the region and send a message to Tehran at a time the United States is threatening to strike its nuclear program. Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Apr. 2025 Government lawyers argue that Meta's services have degraded in quality in part because of its dominant position in the marketplace. Bobby Allyn, NPR, 13 Apr. 2025
Adjective
Drill sergeants now minimize their use of profanity, insults and degrading remarks and strive to become support figures for trainees. Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2025 Smoke can travel hundreds of miles, significantly degrading air quality and posing serious health risks, particularly for individuals with preexisting respiratory or other health conditions. Joel Thayer, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2025
Verb
Flint Flint even says its batteries can work for a short period of time when lit with an open flame or damaged, ultimately degrading without causing a catastrophic event. New Atlas, 25 Feb. 2025 Scripts degrading or becoming inaccessible could account for some of the disorientation caused by memory disorders such as Alzheimer’s. Quanta Magazine, 21 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for degrade
Recent Examples of Synonyms for degrade
Adjective
  • But in March, U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle in Tacoma, Wash., ruled for several long-serving transgender military members who say that the ban is insulting and discriminatory and that their firing would cause lasting damage to their careers and reputations.
    Mark Sherman, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2025
  • But to suggest that the declining birth rate is largely a function of people not knowing how their bodies work is both insulting and ignorant of the real issue.
    Erica Sloan, SELF, 23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The woman, along with her legal team, painted a picture of a violent man whose abusive cycles included demeaning text messages, physical harm, and threats.
    Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Luck and the university fired coach Troy Taylor last week after ESPN reported that he was twice investigated for his demeaning treatment of staffers — particularly women.
    Michael Nowels, Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • These attacks work by causing a software package to access the wrong component dependency, for instance by publishing a malicious package and giving it the same name as the legitimate one but with a later version stamp.
    Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 29 Apr. 2025
  • The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Segments of the online reaction was strong and immediate, with many disappointed in the experience, creating derogatory memes in response.
    Callum Booth, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
  • Sign up for the Evening Report newsletter Musk also mocked Navarro with a derogatory term for someone with a mental disability.
    Miranda Nazzaro, The Hill, 8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Huge Fed Challenge—Sparking Stock Market Plunge As Gold And Bitcoin Price Soar New Gmail Warning — Do Not Open This Email From Google Cena called out fans for being abusive, only to cheer for Heel Cena without apologizing.
    Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
  • Spanking’s impact on a child is unfortunately similar to abusive hitting.
    Christina Erickson, The Conversation, 18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The 2023 Economic Report Of The President published in March of 2023 was relatively disparaging of cryptoassets and DLTs.
    Lawrence Wintermeyer, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
  • Prior to appearing on Cunningham's show on Monday, Huggins made more disparaging remarks about Xavier.
    Emily DeLetter, The Enquirer, 10 May 2023
Adjective
  • Enough jaw-dropping critical injuries are sustained by characters in The Raid to overcrowd the Pitt.
    Andy Crump, Time, 26 Apr. 2025
  • The order, which Trump signed in private, seeks to jumpstart the mining of both U.S. and international waters as part of a push to offset China's sweeping control of the critical minerals industry.
    Ernest Scheyder and Jarrett Renshaw, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Degrade.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degrade. Accessed 8 May. 2025.

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