deg
rade
Third Person
degrades
Present Participle
degrading
Past Tense
degraded
Past Participle
degraded
1
(of human activities or natural forces) to gradually break down rocks, mountains, hills, etc.
transitive
- The constant freeze and thaw cycles degrade the rock faces.
- Construction activities can degrade natural landscapes.
- The river has been degrading the valley’s edges for thousands of years.
- Heavy rain degraded the hillside, causing landslides.
- Erosion degrades the mountain’s surface over centuries.
Antonyms:
2
to reduce the quality or effectiveness of something
transitive
- The outdated technology has degraded the system's performance.
- The chemical spill degraded the soil's fertility.
- The lack of maintenance has degraded the equipment’s condition.
- Overexposure to sunlight can degrade the fabric of clothes.
- The faulty design has degraded the product's reliability.
Synonyms:
3
to treat someone disrespectfully or contemptuously
transitive
- It's unacceptable to degrade others based on their race, gender, or socioeconomic status.
- The bully's constant insults and mocking behavior degraded his classmates.
- It's important not to degrade others based on superficial factors such as appearance or background.
- In a healthy relationship, partners should uplift and support each other rather than degrade or belittle one another.
4
to lower someone's rank or position in a hierarchy, often as a form of punishment
transitive
- The commander degraded the soldier's rank after the serious violation.
- The corporation degraded many senior executives to lower roles following the merger.
- The board decided to degrade the CEO due to poor performance in the last quarter.
- The coach degraded him from team captain after several disciplinary issues.
- The military tribunal degraded the officer to a lower rank as part of his punishment.