degrade

1 reduce the level of land, as by erosion [ant: aggrade]

2 reduce in worth or character, usually verbally; "She tends to put down younger women colleagues"; "His critics took him down after the lecture" [syn: take down, disgrace, demean, put down]

3 lower the grade of something; reduce its worth [syn: cheapen]

English

Pronunciation

Rhymes: -eɪd

Verb

1. To lower in value or social position.

   Fred degrades himself by his behaviour.

2. To reduce in quality or purity.

   The DNA sample has degraded.

Derived terms

• degradation

Translations

• Swedish: degenerera
• Portuguese: degradar
• Spanish: degradar

Degradation may refer to;

• Biodegradation, the processes by which organic substances are broken down by living organisms
• Chemical decomposition, the degradation of chemical compounds
• Degradation (song), by the Violent Femmes
• Degradation (telecommunications), the loss of quality of an electronic signal
• Degradation Ceremony, a ritual performed when cleric is deprived of office or a Knight is stripped of the honour
• Elegant degradation, in engineering, the gradual failing of a machine

See also

• Gradation (disambiguation)
• Attenuation
• Decomposition (disambiguation)
• Erosion
• Humiliation

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