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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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
The future of the Abraham Accords Israel’s war in Gaza and its drive to establish military dominance in the Middle East have degraded the Abraham Accords but will not disintegrate the agreement.
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Monica Marks, Time, 19 Sep. 2025
In comparison, the conventional solid oxide cell stacks require dozens of steps and use multiple materials that degrade over time.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2025
Over time, these substances may infiltrate groundwater, creating serious long-term health concerns, degrading habitats, and endangering communities that rely on those resources.
—Michaela Rychetska, JSTOR Daily, 18 Sep. 2025
Since 2014, the United States has been the linchpin of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, an international counterterrorism group that has worked with local security forces to degrade ISIS.
—Caroline Rose, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for degrade
Recent Examples of Synonyms for degrade
Verb
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The weapon can also fly more than 45 miles to strike mobile targets, reducing the amount of time that aircrews spend in harm’s way.—
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Robert Shapiro, a professor of government and public affairs at Columbia University, questioned whether the removal of social media would meaningfully reduce the likelihood of political violence.—
Verb
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Officials chose Dillow for closure because the building’s condition was rapidly deteriorating due to a water leak.—
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Farley, a former New York City health commissioner who teaches at Tulane University, acknowledged that many factors contribute to falls, including the physical impairments and deteriorating eyesight associated with advancing age; alcohol abuse; and tripping hazards in people’s homes.—
Verb
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France had been humiliated in 1871 by Prussia in a foolish war of its own making, and Dreyfus, accused of passing military secrets to the Germans, was a convenient scapegoat in a time of national malaise.—
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Leno later said he felt humiliated by Kimmel’s jibe.—
Verb
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The butt of these jokes is Mike Waltz, the ambitious former congressman and national security adviser who was unceremoniously demoted to Turtle Bay in April for a series of sins that add up to not being MAGA enough.—
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Elsewhere in the state, last year’s recipients—Beckon in Denver, Bosq in Aspen, Brutø in Denver, and Frasca Food and Wine—all retained their one-star status, while no restaurants were demoted this year.—
Verb
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And, in the process, weakening the ability of American tech companies, many of them based in California, to achieve their goals.—
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Winds will continue to weaken later in the afternoon, while flooding across the high terrain in the Central Azores is also expected to subside.—
Verb
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Lysenko leveraged his newfound power to suppress Soviet geneticists’ opinions and to discredit and imprison them.—
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The lawsuit also claims taxpayer funds were improperly used to pay for an investigation by retired Judge LaDoris Cordell, which fueled calls for Corpus’s ouster, and describes the probe as a pretext to discredit her administration.—
Verb
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The top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, said the plan outlined subverted Congress's power outlined in the Constitution, controlling how government money is spent, according to Reuters.—
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Omerzu and his team aren’t above deploying romantic backlighting for midnight kisses and some of the clichés of young-love cinema, but thankfully that’s only to subvert them as the film goes on.—
Verb
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The Epstein scandal continues to embarrass the British royal family, even years after Jeffrey Epstein’s death.—
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Me, a beautiful and clever five-time Emmy-winning writer with a few Wednesday nights free, and The Golden Bachelor, a heartwarming and adorable exploration of women’s second acts with a male doofus at the center who has already embarrassed himself.—
Cite this Entry
“Degrade.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degrade. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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