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to degrade
01
(of human activities or natural forces) to gradually break down rocks, mountains, hills, etc.
Transitive: to degrade a landform
Grammatical Information
Composition
derived
Action verb
Regular
Present tense
degrade
3rd person singular
degrades
Present participle
degrading
Past simple
degraded
Past participle
degraded
Examples
The constant freeze and thaw cycles degrade the rock faces.
02
to reduce the quality or effectiveness of something
Transitive: to degrade quality or performance of something
Examples
The outdated technology has degraded the system's performance.
03
to treat someone disrespectfully or contemptuously
Transitive: to degrade sb
Examples
It's unacceptable to degrade others based on their race, gender, or socioeconomic status.
04
to lower someone's rank or position in a hierarchy, often as a form of punishment
Transitive: to degrade a person or their rank
Examples
The commander degraded the soldier's rank after the serious violation.
Lexical Tree
degraded
degrader
degrading
degrade
