Standard Lemma guide

degrade

verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /dɪˈɡɹeɪd/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Canada, US: /dɪˈɡɹeɪd/
  • Canada, US: /diˈɡɹeɪd/
  • Australian: /dɪˈɡɹæɪd/
  • rhymes with -eɪd
  • CMU ARPABET: D IH0 G R EY1 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To lower in value or social position.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • Fred degrades himself by his behaviour.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: abase, debase, demean, avile, debauch, degrade, depreciate, devalue, devaluate, dirty, elevate, vitiate, bring down to size, cut down to size, defame, demote, depress, discredit, disgrace, dishonour, disparage, downgrade, embase, give a bad name, humble, humiliate, knock down to size, put someone in their place, reduce, relegate, sink, slur, trim down to size, whittle down to size

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To reduce in quality or purity.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: ergative, intransitive

Examples

  • The DNA sample has degraded.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To reduce in altitude or magnitude, as hills and mountains; to wear down.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: geography, geology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

lower the grade of something; reduce its worth

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cheapen

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: worsen, aggravate, exacerbate, exasperate

Narrower terms: devalue, devaluate

5

verb

Meaning 5

reduce the level of land, as by erosion

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: aggrade

6

verb

Meaning 6

reduce in worth or character, usually verbally

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • She tends to put down younger women colleagues
  • His critics took him down after the lecture

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: take down, disgrace, demean, put down

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: humiliate, mortify, chagrin, humble, abase

Narrower terms: reduce, dehumanize, dehumanise

History

Etymology

From Middle French dégrader.

Across languages

Translations

50 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: понижавам (ponižavam) — to lower in value or social position
  • Bulgarian: разжалвам (razžalvam) — to lower in value or social position
  • Catalan: degradar — to lower in value or social position
  • Czech: degradovat — to lower in value or social position
  • Finnish: alentaa — to lower in value or social position
  • German: degradieren — to lower in value or social position
  • German: herabstufen — to lower in value or social position
  • German: herunterstufen — to lower in value or social position
  • German: herabsetzen — to lower in value or social position
  • Hungarian: lealacsonyít — to lower in value or social position
  • Hungarian: degradál — to lower in value or social position
  • Irish: ísligh — to lower in value or social position
  • Italian: degradare — to lower in value or social position
  • Ladino: enkorkovarse — to lower in value or social position
  • Latin: obterō — to lower in value or social position
  • Māori: whakapāpaku — to lower in value or social position
  • Portuguese: degradar — to lower in value or social position
  • Sanskrit: भ्रंशते (bhraṃśate) — to lower in value or social position
  • Spanish: degradar — to lower in value or social position
  • Swedish: degradera — to lower in value or social position
  • Swedish: nedvärdera — to lower in value or social position
  • Ottoman Turkish: آشاغیلامق (aşağılamak) — to lower in value or social position
  • Welsh: diraddio — to lower in value or social position
  • Arabic: تَرَدَّى (taraddā) — to reduce in quality or purity
  • Bulgarian: упадам (upadam) — to reduce in quality or purity
  • Bulgarian: деградирам (degradiram) — to reduce in quality or purity
  • Bulgarian: разлагам се (razlagam se) — to reduce in quality or purity
  • Catalan: degradar — to reduce in quality or purity
  • Czech: znehodnotit — to reduce in quality or purity
  • Dutch: degraderen — to reduce in quality or purity
  • Dutch: aftakelen — to reduce in quality or purity
  • Dutch: vervallen — to reduce in quality or purity
  • Finnish: heikentää — to reduce in quality or purity
  • Finnish: alentaa — to reduce in quality or purity
  • German: vermindern — to reduce in quality or purity
  • German: abbauen — to reduce in quality or purity
  • Hungarian: lealacsonyodik — to reduce in quality or purity
  • Hungarian: degradálódik — to reduce in quality or purity
  • Hungarian: bomlik — to reduce in quality or purity
  • Hungarian: elbomlik — to reduce in quality or purity
  • Hungarian: lebomlik — to reduce in quality or purity
  • Italian: degradarsi — to reduce in quality or purity
  • Portuguese: degradar — to reduce in quality or purity
  • Spanish: degradar — to reduce in quality or purity
  • Welsh: diraddio — to reduce in quality or purity
  • German: erodieren — to reduce in altitude or magnitude, as hills and mountains; to wear down
  • Hungarian: erodálódik — to reduce in altitude or magnitude, as hills and mountains; to wear down
  • Hungarian: elkopik — to reduce in altitude or magnitude, as hills and mountains; to wear down
  • Portuguese: erodir — to reduce in altitude or magnitude, as hills and mountains; to wear down
  • Portuguese: desgastar — to reduce in altitude or magnitude, as hills and mountains; to wear down