degrade
verb /dɪˈɡreɪd/
/dɪˈɡreɪd/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they degrade | /dɪˈɡreɪd/ /dɪˈɡreɪd/ |
| he / she / it degrades | /dɪˈɡreɪdz/ /dɪˈɡreɪdz/ |
| past simple degraded | /dɪˈɡreɪdɪd/ /dɪˈɡreɪdɪd/ |
| past participle degraded | /dɪˈɡreɪdɪd/ /dɪˈɡreɪdɪd/ |
| -ing form degrading | /dɪˈɡreɪdɪŋ/ /dɪˈɡreɪdɪŋ/ |
- [transitive] degrade somebody to show or treat somebody in a way that makes them seem not worth any respect or not worth taking seriously
- This poster is offensive and degrades women.
- [transitive] degrade something (specialist) to make something become worse, especially in quality
- Important natural habitats have been degraded by development.
- [intransitive, transitive] (specialist) to change or make something change to a simpler chemical form
- degrade (into something) The esters then degrade into harmless sugars and fatty acids.
- degrade something The bacteria will degrade hydrocarbons.
Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French degrader, from ecclesiastical Latin degradare, from de- ‘down, away from’ + Latin gradus ‘step or grade’.