degrade Synonyms
Another word for degrade
• verb (Context 1)
To treat or regard someone with contempt or disrespect, causing a loss of dignity or self-respect.
"Publicly shaming employees for minor mistakes only serves to demean them and lower workplace morale."
• verb (Context 2)
To lower the quality, character, or condition of something; to cause to deteriorate.
"Unregulated industrial runoff continues to deteriorate the water quality of the surrounding wetlands."
• verb (Context 3)
To break down or decompose chemically or biologically into simpler substances (or to cause a substance to do so).
"Certain plastics take ratusan of years to decompose when exposed to natural sunlight and moisture."
• verb (Context 4)
To reduce someone to a lower rank, degree, or official status.
"Following the court-martial, the tribunal voted to demote the officer to the rank of private."
Opposites of degrade
The opposite of degrade shifts depending on context. Common opposites include: