Degrade Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary (original) (raw)

1

[+ object]

:

to treat (someone or something) poorly and without respect

• The group accuses the company of degrading women in its ads.
• I am not going to degrade [=_lower_] myself by responding to these baseless accusations.
• He felt degraded by their remarks.

2

[+ object]

:

to make the quality of (something) worse

• Scratches on a camera lens will degrade the image.
• Pollution has degraded air quality.

3

technical

:

to cause (something complex) to break down into simple substances or parts

[+ object]

• enzymes that degrade proteins

[no object]

• plastics that don't degrade [=_decompose_] easily