Degrade Meaning
/dɪˈɡɹeɪd/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo lower in value or social position.
verbTo reduce in quality or purity.
Sentence Examples
Don't degrade yourself by telling such a lie.
Batteries degrade over time.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The factory's pollution will ____ the quality of nearby streams.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Don't ____ yourself by telling such a lie.
Word Origin & History
From Middle French dégrader.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"[…] [William] Prynne was sentenced by the Star-Chamber Court to be degraded from the bar, to stand in pillory at two places in London and lose an ear at each, to be branded on the forehead, to pay a fine of five thousand pounds, and to be imprisoned for life."
— 1858, John Gorham Palfrey, chapter XIV, in History of New England during the Stuart Dynasty. […], volume I, Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown, and Company, →OCLC, book I, pages 563–564:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The factory's pollution will ____ the quality of nearby streams.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Don't ____ yourself by telling such a lie.