degrade
B2Formal to Neutral
Definition
Meaning
To reduce in quality, rank, or value; to cause something or someone to become worse or less respected.
1. To break down or decompose a chemical compound. 2. To cause a loss of dignity or self-respect. 3. To wear down or erode (land, materials).
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily a transitive verb. Often used in environmental, moral, and technical contexts. The adjective form 'degraded' is common (e.g., 'degraded land').
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No major lexical or grammatical differences. Both use 'degrade' and its derivatives identically.
Connotations
In both varieties, the word carries a strong negative connotation, implying a fall from a better state. It is equally serious in formal registers.
Frequency
Comparatively equal frequency in formal/academic contexts. Slightly higher frequency in American English within environmental science discourse.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Subject] degrades [Object][Object] is degraded by [Agent][Subject] degrades into [Result][Subject] degrades [Object] as [Complement]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “(not a major idiom word)”
- “A race to the bottom (conceptually related)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Referring to a decline in service quality, product standards, or brand value. 'The merger risked degrading the customer experience.'
Academic
Common in environmental science (soil degradation), chemistry (polymer degradation), and social sciences (degrading social conditions).
Everyday
Used to describe someone being humiliated or something breaking down. 'Don't degrade yourself by arguing with them.' 'The video quality degrades when compressed.'
Technical
In engineering: 'signal degradation'; in chemistry: 'enzymatic degradation'; in computing: 'graceful degradation' of a system under load.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The council warned that the new development would degrade the local habitat.
- It is unacceptable to degrade a colleague in front of the team.
- The plastic film will degrade over centuries in landfill.
American English
- Using that additive can degrade your engine's performance over time.
- He felt the comment was meant to degrade him.
- The satellite signal degrades during heavy storms.
adverb
British English
- The material degraded thermally.
- The land was degradingly poor.
American English
- The system fails degradingly under stress.
- The comments were degradingly personal.
adjective
British English
- The degraded soil could no longer support crops.
- He lived in a state of degraded poverty.
American English
- The project aimed to restore the degraded wetland.
- Images from the degraded file were unusable.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Too much sun can degrade plastic toys.
- It is not kind to degrade other people.
- The quality of the MP3 file degrades if you compress it too much.
- Pollution can seriously degrade air and water quality.
- The journalist argued that sensationalist news degrades public discourse.
- Engineers designed the system to degrade gracefully if one component fails.
- The authoritarian regime systematically sought to degrade civil institutions and the rule of law.
- Photodegradable polymers are engineered to degrade upon prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a 'GRADE' going 'DE-' (down). To DE-GRADE is to lower the grade or quality.
Conceptual Metaphor
MORAL/QUALITY IS HEIGHT (to degrade is to lower). NATURE IS A RESOURCE (degradation depletes it).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'downgrade' (понизить в должности), which is more specific to rank. 'Degrade' is broader.
- The Russian 'деградировать' is an intransitive verb, while English 'degrade' is primarily transitive. 'He is degrading' (transitive use) means he is causing degradation, not necessarily that he himself is deteriorating.
Common Mistakes
- Using it intransitively like 'The plastic degraded in the sun' is correct, but '*He degraded' (meaning he became worse) is less common and can sound odd without an object. Better: 'He deteriorated.'
- Confusing 'degrade' with 'degenerate'. 'Degenerate' implies a moral or physical decline to a lower type, often intransitive.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'degrade' used CORRECTLY?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Degrade' often implies an active agent causing the reduction in quality or status. 'Deteriorate' is often intransitive and describes a passive process of becoming worse. 'Decline' is more general and can refer to a gradual decrease in quantity, quality, or strength.
Extremely rarely. In specific technical contexts like 'biodegradable', it describes a natural, often desirable, breakdown process. However, the core meaning remains 'to break down', which is neutral; the positivity comes from the context (e.g., environmentally friendly).
It is neutral-to-formal. It is common in academic, technical, and professional writing. In everyday speech, simpler words like 'break down', 'get worse', or 'humiliate' might be used depending on the meaning.
It is a design principle where a system continues to operate with reduced functionality when part of it fails, rather than crashing completely. The service 'degrades' in a controlled, 'graceful' manner.