degrade

verb
UK: /dɪˈɡreɪd/
US: /dɪˈɡreɪd/

  1. To reduce someone's status or worth; to humiliate.

    1. The bully tried to degrade him in front of everyone.
    2. The constant criticism from his boss served to degrade his confidence over time.

  2. To cause something to become worse in quality.

    1. Pollution can degrade the environment.
    2. Lack of maintenance will inevitably degrade the performance of the engine.

  3. To break down or decompose.

    1. The plastic bag will degrade over many years.
    2. Certain bacteria help degrade organic waste matter in compost heaps efficiently.

Synonyms

demean humiliate abase lower debase corrupt deteriorate decompose
degrade transitive-verb

  1. To cause to decline to a lower level (of dignity, estimation, etc.); reduce in worth.

    1. Don't let him degrade your self-worth with insults.
    2. The purpose of the law isn't to degrade citizens, but to protect them.

  2. To lower in grade of excellence or purity; impair.

    1. The constant exposure to sun can degrade the color of the fabric.
    2. Poor storage conditions will degrade the quality and the freshness of the food.
degrade intransitive-verb

  1. To decline or deteriorate; undergo degradation.

    1. The old building began to degrade with time.
    2. Without proper care, even the strongest materials will eventually degrade rapidly.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "degrade" in English means: To reduce someone's status or worth; to humiliate., To cause something to become worse in quality., To break down or decompose..

The phonetic transcription of "degrade" is /dɪˈɡreɪd/ in British English and /dɪˈɡreɪd/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "degrade": demean, humiliate, abase, lower, debase, corrupt, deteriorate, decompose.

Example usage of "degrade": "The bully tried to degrade him in front of everyone.". More examples on the page.