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downgraded - 2 dictionary results

down⋅grade

  [doun-greyd] noun, adjective, adverb, verb, -grad⋅ed, -grad⋅ing.
Use downgraded in a Sentence
–noun
1. a downward slope, esp. of a road.
–adjective, adverb
2. downhill.
–verb (used with object)
3. to assign to a lower status with a smaller salary.
4. to minimize the importance of; denigrate: She tried to downgrade the findings of the investigation.
5. to assign a lower security classification to (information, a document, etc.).
—Idiom
6. on the downgrade, in a decline toward an inferior state or position: His career has been on the downgrade.
Origin:
1855–60, Americanism; down 1 + grade

Related forms:
downgrader, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To downgraded
down·grade   (doun'grād')   
n.  
  1. A descending slope, as in a road.
  2. A turn or trend downward.
  3. A decline, as in fortune, status, or condition: a neighborhood on the downgrade.
tr.v.   down·grad·ed, down·grad·ing, down·grades
  1. To lower the status or salary of.
  2. To minimize the importance, value, or reputation of. See Synonyms at decry, demote.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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