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degrade

[dih-greyd or, for 3, dee-greyd]

verb (used with object)

to lower in dignity or estimation; bring into contempt: He felt they were degrading him by making him report to the supervisor.

to lower in character or quality; debase.

to reduce (someone) to a lower rank, degree, etc.; deprive of office, rank, status, or title, especially as a punishment: degraded from director to assistant director.

to reduce in amount, strength, intensity, etc.

Physical Geography. to wear down by erosion, as hills. Compare aggrade.

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Chemistry. to break down (a compound, especially an organic hydrocarbon).

COLLAPSE

verb (used without object)

to become degraded; weaken or worsen; deteriorate.

Chemistry. (especially of an organic hydrocarbon compound) to break down or decompose.

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Degrade is a GRE word you need to know.

So is deduce. Does it mean:

lacking some element or characteristic

to derive as a conclusion from something known or assumed

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Origin:
1275–1325; Middle English degraden < Late Latin dēgradāre, equivalent to Latin dē- de- + grad(us) grade + -āre infinitive suffix

Related forms

de·grad·er, noun

Synonyms
1. disgrace, dishonor, discredit. See humble. 2. abase, vitiate. 3. demote, depose, downgrade, lower, cashier, break.

Antonyms
1, 2. exalt. 3. promote.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To degrade

Example Sentences

On the other hand, if you degrade and devalue that bureaucracy, it will do a heckuva job.

Whites seem only to recognize that segment of the population they can pity or degrade.

In modest amount, natural processes and bacteria degrade oil fairly quickly, especially in warm climates.

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On the other hand, if you degrade and devalue that bureaucracy, it will do a heckuva job.

Whites seem only to recognize that segment of the population they can pity or degrade.

In modest amount, natural processes and bacteria degrade oil fairly quickly, especially in warm climates.

The insects may not be able to reproduce in sufficient numbers or their new habitat could degrade.

Scientists are breathing new life into old idea for making bacteria degrade landfill waste--without oxygen and thus odors.

There the domesticated animals displace the wildlife and degrade the land.

They also release nitrogen into the soil as they degrade.

They're much better than batteries, because they don't degrade over time or discharge waste energy as heat.

And its storage ability does not degrade over time, which is a fact of life with batteries available today.

Once that happens, social conditions will degrade even further and make domestic strife all the more likely.

Nor did it easily degrade when exposed to great heat.

Unfortunately, helicopters constantly degrade the natural ambiance.

The best condition for plastic to degrade is high temperature, direct sunlight.

Such comments seek to trivialize the marriage issue and to degrade gays by comparing to something not even human.

If the old man is still buying it, advise him to rewind his entire movie collection immediately, before the endings degrade.

Ficus on facts you disagree with, rather than attempt to degrade people for things you think are quirks.

Except, and it is no small exception, when they degrade women.

Moore explained that, unlike driftwood, plastic doesn't degrade as it slowly drifts around the ocean.

And it provided such an effective binder for silicon nanoparticles that the system didn't degrade.

Bad behavior could degrade the quality of the feedback, for example, if spammers decide there is value in hijacking it.

But stability, if it lasts, could also easily degrade into attrition.

Food and other organic matter degrade quickly in such wet climates.

The acids in tomato juice can degrade the drink's other ingredients.

If you're going to degrade the quality then you may as well have some fun.

And the traditional method of drying in the sun usually degrade it so much, especially in the rainy season.

Removing top predators, such as sharks and bluefin tuna, from the ecosystem can degrade marine habitats.

One problem has been that the gut tissues degrade the vaccine components before they reach the immune system.

Without chemical intervention, dead bodies degrade rapidly.

The party's grubby meddlings degrade the efforts of the bureaucrats to clean up the banks.

Human activities continue to degrade or destroy the small patches of remaining forest and the wildlife that lives there.

Petroleum wastes, hydrocarbon wastes and organic solvents can degrade the new liner.

That's because animal droppings degrade over time, making testing more difficult.

Worse, the sensors degrade with age and their data can be corrupted by environmental factors.

Ongoing human activities continue to degrade these diverse forests.

But the idea is still valid if, as pgtruspace suggests, it doesn't degrade the concrete.

Something several times stronger could degrade performance a lot more.

Animals also produce gases and waste that degrade the environment.

Large-scale agricultural projects and urban sprawl also degrade the land.

The objects would be timed to degrade well before hitting land.

In real life, the laser would be much less effective, as smoke and steam would rapidly degrade the effectiveness of the beam.

But the physical properties of motor oil itself don't degrade.

Plus it`s potency does not degrade over time, there fore it provides lasting protection from reinfection.

Large-scale mining for marble and minerals is also beginning to degrade the habitat.

Most plastics degrade during reprocessing and have only one successful recycling.

Under the right conditions, bacteria can degrade this form of polyester to carbon dioxide and water in as little as six months.

But dams block salmon runs and may degrade river water quality.

These activities have degraded large areas of original habitat and continue to degrade remaining fragments.

The oil-based pesticides evaporate quickly and degrade rapidly in sunlight.

They help develop strategies to degrade toxic chemicals in the environment.

Use ads in a way that doesn't degrade their experience.

Digital texts degrade far more easily than words printed on paper.

The high-energy particles that degrade spacecraft and threaten astronauts' health could actually help.

The organic material will degrade with natural processes.

Chemical pollutants now contaminate the food chain, and mining and offshore drilling could degrade bear habitat.

The reel-mower makers hope the changes will degrade the performance and increase the prices of power mowers.

Styrofoam containers are among the longest lasting, but even they will degrade after a million years or two.

The engine compartment gets hotter, and the heat can degrade a battery.

If you are not careful, others may degrade the value of the signal.

Our goal is to ensure this is done in a responsible way and that it doesn't harm or degrade the resources in the basin".

Too much reflected sound can degrade the quality of the sound in the room.

Heavy metals and other toxins in sludge never degrade.

Either our species will degrade to become entirely reliant on our own technology to live and reproduce.

It tempts lawmakers to degrade the quality of justice for everyone.

There are lots of potential lapses that can degrade air safety.

But sunlight didn't fully degrade some organics unless microbes were also present.

The discs are sturdy and the crisp images do not degrade with repeated showings.

The pounding of the soil by the hooves of livestock may degrade the soil and encourage erosion by wind and water.

To that end the agency is working with electrode layers made of nickel and tungsten oxides, which do not degrade under light.

Note that any such software will necessarily degrade the overall recording.

Many people worry about the way e-mail seems to degrade writing skills.

Micrometeors will degrade the reflective surfaces over time.

Ordinary latex balloons will not start to degrade for about five months in the.

Minor variations in culturing conditions can degrade an organism's toxic potential.

Altuzarra is making a jacket with degrade crystal effect on the sleeves.

Owens said it could also degrade into more toxic chemicals hazardous to wildlife.

If she fights back when people degrade her, that is her courage and integrity.

It can also be used-though it will be hard to prove-to degrade the services of rivals.

Then it would degrade and people would flip her off, boo, throw things.

It could degrade the online signal of rivals, or charge through the roof to transmit their content to its broadband subscribers.

But its efficiency tends to degrade when exposed to sunlight.

The toxins are encapsulated so that they will not degrade too rapidly to be useful when sprayed onto fields.

Uncivil manner of delivery will degrade the power of your otherwise valuable argument.

CDs and hard drives, all of which degrade much faster than old-fashioned acid-free paper.

While the brain's plasticity begins to degrade in later life, it may never be too late to teach an old brain new tricks.

It is not enough to degrade its armed forces and to eliminate command, communications and intelligence nodes.

Ultraviolet radiation induces production of the same enzymes that degrade collagen with age.

McLeod and the lenders were not only shaped by deteriorating norms, they helped degrade them.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

degrade (dɪˈɡreɪd)

—vb
1.	(tr) to reduce in worth, character, etc; disgrace; dishonour
2.	(tr) to reduce in rank, status, or degree; remove from office; demote
3.	(tr) to reduce in strength, quality, intensity, etc
4.	Compare aggrade to reduce or be reduced by erosion or down-cutting, as a land surface or bed of a river
5.	chem to decompose or be decomposed into atoms or smaller molecules

[C14: from Late Latin dēgradāre, from Latin de- + gradus rank, degree]

de'grader

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

degrade

early 14c., from O.Fr. degrader (12c.), from des- "down" + L. gradus "step" (see grade).

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degrade

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