1
as in deterioration
a change to a lower state or level
a singing career on the downgrade
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in downhill
a downward slope
the gentle downgrade of the parking area is designed for drainage
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to demote
to bring to a lower grade or rank
increased automation resulted in many jobs in the factory being downgraded
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to reduce
to diminish the price or value of
the company's filing for Chapter 11 downgraded the stock to the point where it was selling for pennies a share
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 downgrade
Andy Behrens, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
North America has seen the most precipitous downgrade, according to Tracker data, with projections dropping from 2.7 percent in January to 1.5 percent in September.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 16 Oct. 2025
Khobi Price, Oc Register, 5 Nov. 2025
The people-pleasing part only causes [us] to downgrade our emotional state and our emotional intelligence.
—Lauren Giella, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downgrade
Noun
McLaurin had been limited to begin the week, but the downgrade to DNP is obviously a concern.
—Andy Behrens, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
North America has seen the most precipitous downgrade, according to Tracker data, with projections dropping from 2.7 percent in January to 1.5 percent in September.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
Reaves was a full participant in the team’s morning shootaround on Wednesday, and he was seen by media members getting shots up and playing one-on-one with assistant coach Beau Levesque, before the team downgraded him from questionable to unavailable shortly after shootaround ended.
—Khobi Price, Oc Register, 5 Nov. 2025
The people-pleasing part only causes [us] to downgrade our emotional state and our emotional intelligence.
—Lauren Giella, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downgrade
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downgrade
Noun
-
Some of it is also related to the age and deterioration of much of the grid, which now requires rebuilding.—
Tom Rogers,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
-
The deterioration in the labor market has been concentrated in payroll employment, which is the [datapoint] that is the most susceptible to demographic and immigration changes.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Beyond just kayaking, this could be game-changing for activities like downhill mountain biking and point-to-point hiking.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
30 Oct. 2025
-
In this melancholy-comic subversion of a rags-to-riches story Karl’s empathetic musings about those less fortunate immigrants foreshadow his subsequent downhill trajectory.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Sanders demoted offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur to quarterbacks coach and stripped the former NFL head coach of play-calling duties.—
Andrew McCarty,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
-
He is simply demoted in sexiness without fanfare.—
Choire Sicha,
CNN Money,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Tax rises would likely act as another damper on inflation by reducing consumer demand.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Researchers also stressed that the synergistic effect of K+ and C3N4 co-intercalation lowers the energy barrier, reduces the electrostatic interaction, and enhances the kinetics and structural stability.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
After losses in four of their last five games, the trajectory of the Cleveland Browns are trending downward heading into a Week 10 game against the New York Jets.—
Reice Shipley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Nasdaq 100 futures were pointing downward, premarket, after the index lost 2% yesterday in a massive, global selloff of tech stocks.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
However, the league is looking to its next steps to after the 2025 season saw a 5% decline in game attendance, according to Sports Business Journal.—
Jessica Golden,
CNBC,
6 Nov. 2025
-
But their party went into swift decline during the Cold War that began in the late 1940s and barely exists today.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Nashville’s lockout from the major categories year after year (aside from an outlier like Beyonce’s one-time genre dip) is bound to stir discussion going forward.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Think of this as the matured version of the Kool-Aid dip-dye technique.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
7 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
Cincinnati charged back from a 31-10 second-quarter deficit, down 44-38 with about 90 seconds left.—
The Athletic College Football Staff,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
After an incompletion on third down, McCashland’s 25-yard field goal attempt was no good, hitting the right upright with 17 seconds remaining in the half.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Downgrade.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downgrade. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share