Yahoo Web Search

Search results

1. Dictionary

   de·grade

   /dəˈɡrād/

   verb

   • 1. treat or regard (someone) with contempt or disrespect: "she thought that many supposedly erotic pictures degraded women" Similar demeandebasecheapendevalueprostitutelower the status ofreduceshamehumiliatebring shame tohumblemortifyabasedisgracedishonordesensitizedehumanizebrutalizeOpposite dignifyennoble
   • ▪ lower the quality of; cause to deteriorate: "repeaters clean up and amplify the degraded signal"
   • ▪ reduce (someone) to a lower rank, especially as a punishment: archaic "he was degraded from his high estate"
   • 2. break down or deteriorate chemically: "the bacteria will degrade hydrocarbons" Similar break downdeterioratedegeneratedecayatrophy
   • ▪ reduce (energy) to a less readily convertible form.
   • ▪ wear down (rock) and cause it to disintegrate.

   Word Origin late Middle English: from Old French degrader, from ecclesiastical Latin degradare, from de- ‘down, away from’ + Latin gradus ‘step or grade’.

   Derivatives

   • 1. degradability noun
   • 2. degradable adjective
   • 3. degradative adjective
   • 4. degrader noun

   Scrabble Points: 10

   • D

     2

   • E

     1

   • G

     2

   • R

     1

   • A

     1

   • D

     2

   • E

     1

   Powered by Oxford Dictionaries

   More definitions, origin and scrabble points

2. www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › degradeDegrade Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

   www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › degrade

   • Cached

   Learn the meaning, synonyms, examples, and history of the verb degrade, which means to lower in grade, rank, or status, or to reduce the complexity of a chemical compound. See also the medical and kids definitions of degrade.

3. dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › englishDEGRADE | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english

   • Cached

   Degrade means to cause people to feel that they or other people have no value and do not have the respect or good opinion of others, or to spoil or destroy the beauty or quality of something. See different meanings, synonyms, and usage examples of degrade in English.

4. www.dictionary.com › browse › degradeDEGRADE Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

   www.dictionary.com › browse › degrade

   • Cached

   Degrade definition: to lower in dignity or estimation; bring into contempt. See examples of DEGRADE used in a sentence.

5. www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › degradeDegrade - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com

   www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › degrade

   To degrade means to reduce the worth of something, as when smoke and pollution degrade the environment. The word can also mean to disrespect or insult: thoughtless comments can degrade a person. If you whistle at a passing woman, you're being disrespectful — your behavior degrades women.

6. www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › englishDEGRADE definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

   www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › english

   • Cached

   Learn the meaning, pronunciation, synonyms, and usage of the verb 'degrade' in British and American English. Find out how 'degrade' can mean to lower in rank, quality, value, or to break down chemically or geologically.

7. www.thefreedictionary.com › degradeDegrade - definition of degrade by The Free Dictionary

   www.thefreedictionary.com › degrade

   • Cached

   Degrade means to lower in quality, value, rank, or status, or to cause something to break down or decompose. Find the origin, usage, and examples of degrade and related words in various languages and dictionaries.

8. www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › us › definitiondegrade verb - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage...

   www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › us › definition

   • Cached

   Learn the meaning, pronunciation and usage of the verb degrade, which can mean to show disrespect, to make something worse, or to change to a simpler form. See examples, synonyms and word origin.