degrade
pronunciation
How to pronounce degrade in British English:
UK [dɪˈɡreɪd]
How to pronounce degrade in American English:
US [dɪˈɡreɪd]
-
- Verb:
- reduce the level of land, as by erosion
- reduce in worth or character, usually verbally
- lower the grade of something; reduce its worth
Word Origin
- degrade (v.)
- late 14c., from Old French degrader (12c.) "degrade, deprive (of office, rank, etc.)," from des- "down" (see dis-) + Latin gradus "step" (see grade (n.)). Related: Degraded; degrading.
Example
- 1. Many people worry about the way e-mail seems to degrade writing skills .
- 2. Another protection will lie in transparency , since operators will have to disclose to regulators when they block or degrade a service .
- 3. Sugar can increase energy , but in very small amounts , sugar can tell your brain to degrade the performance of orexin .
- 4. Won 't the fed 's balance sheet expansion and " quantitative easing " policies generate inflation and thereby degrade the treasury 's debt ?
- 5. When placed on a blog or website , presentations automatically scale to size , so as not to degrade visual quality or clash with supporting layouts .