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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to deteriorate
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
degrading the school's animal mascot with a silly costume
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3
as in to humiliate
to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes
the players degraded themselves with their crude antics off the field
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of degrade
Through all of that, a single nanometer of tin debris coating the collector optic would degrade the EUV transmission to unacceptable levels and put the machine out of commission.
—
Jayson Stewart, IEEE Spectrum, 5 Mar. 2025
There are also plasma eddies and other phenomena that interfere with the operation of satellites and degrade their materials.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 3 Mar. 2025
Plus, a dry storage spot will mitigate mold, mildew, or other elements that could potentially degrade the blanket's fire-resistant properties over time.
—Shivani Vyas, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Mar. 2025
The conspiratorial right aims to degrade the state’s ability to collect taxes, conduct diplomacy, prosecute violations of civil rights, and otherwise carry out its duties.
—Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for degrade
Jayson Stewart, IEEE Spectrum, 5 Mar. 2025
There are also plasma eddies and other phenomena that interfere with the operation of satellites and degrade their materials.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 3 Mar. 2025
Plus, a dry storage spot will mitigate mold, mildew, or other elements that could potentially degrade the blanket's fire-resistant properties over time.
—Shivani Vyas, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Mar. 2025
The conspiratorial right aims to degrade the state’s ability to collect taxes, conduct diplomacy, prosecute violations of civil rights, and otherwise carry out its duties.
—Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for degrade
Recent Examples of Synonyms for degrade
Verb
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These layoffs reduced staffing at some local weather forecast offices to threadbare levels, causing some to reduce their services.—
Andrew Freedman,
Axios,
17 Mar. 2025
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This eliminates the need for multiple VAT registrations, reducing compliance costs and administrative burdens.—
Aleksandra Bal,
Forbes,
16 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Its effects weren’t confined to California—air quality deteriorated in neighboring states, and supply chain disruptions followed.—
Joel Carboni,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
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Despite overcoming the initial infection, Thomas’ condition deteriorated.—
Amy McGorry,
Fox News,
8 Mar. 2025
Verb
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No, Trump Did Not ‘Bring Back Free Speech’ An August 2024 report by Columbia’s task force on antisemitism found that Jews and Israelis at Columbia were often ostracized and humiliated on campus.—
Solcyré Burga,
TIME,
7 Mar. 2025
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Committee Chairman James Comer will use the hearing to humiliate blue-city mayors and to please the White House and fire up his extremist MAGA base.—
Peter Cunningham,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Three top officials at the agency have been demoted as a result.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
The New Yorker,
10 Mar. 2025
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Last week, Martin demoted several top prosecutors in Jan. 6 lawsuits, including the leads on the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers cases.—
Meredith Kile,
People.com,
5 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Signing Verdugo now would give the Yankees one less option to fill the Stanton void and weaken their lineup even more.—
Faisal Kutty,
Newsweek,
11 Mar. 2025
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In an all-staff e-mail, Dudek wrote: Criticism, contempt, stonewalling, and defensiveness are the four forces that can end any relationship and weaken any institution. . .—
E. Tammy Kim,
The New Yorker,
11 Mar. 2025
Verb
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President Trump on Tuesday escalated his campaign to discredit judges who get in his way, calling on Congress to impeach the judge at the center of a legal fight over the deportation of hundreds of immigrants to El Salvador.—
Brian Bennett,
TIME,
18 Mar. 2025
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More often than not these spins have one end goal: to dismiss or discredit someone or something.—
Lucy Dolan-Zalaznick,
Vogue,
12 Mar. 2025
Verb
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In the past decade, some liberals and progressives have ignored or even worked to subvert free-speech norms, a matter that has been extensively covered in the press.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
The New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2025
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Another artist new to me was Summer Wheat at the Nazarian/Curcio booth whose paintings subvert traditional representation of women and look like textiles but is actually paint applied through a rigorous process.—
Tom Teicholz,
Forbes,
14 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Get okay with the idea that in the future, your past work will embarrass you.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
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The Vance memes seem to contain an admission as well: that even some conservatives do not see him as essential to the current MAGA movement. Consider the fact that Democrats have long tried to embarrass Trump with memes and images of him as an infant, a Cheeto, and other forms.—
Ali Breland,
The Atlantic,
8 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Degrade.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degrade. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
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