Lexic.us

Definition of Degrade

1. Verb. Reduce the level of land, as by erosion.

2. Verb. Reduce in worth or character, usually verbally. "His critics took him down after the lecture"

3. Verb. Lower the grade of something; reduce its worth.

Definition of Degrade

1. v. t. To reduce from a higher to a lower rank or degree; to lower in rank; to deprive of office or dignity; to strip of honors; as, to degrade a nobleman, or a general officer.

2. v. i. To degenerate; to pass from a higher to a lower type of structure; as, a family of plants or animals degrades through this or that genus or group of genera.

Definition of Degrade

1. Verb. (transitive) To lower in value or social position. ¹

2. Verb. (intransitive) To reduce in quality or purity. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Degrade

1. to debase [v -GRADED, -GRADING, -GRADES] - See also: debase

Medical Definition of Degrade

1. 1. To reduce from a higher to a lower rank or degree; to lower in rank' to deprive of office or dignity; to strip of honors; as, to degrade a nobleman, or a general officer. "Prynne was sentenced by the Star Chamber Court to be degraded from the bar." (Palfrey) 2. To reduce in estimation, character, or reputation; to lessen the value of; to lower the physical, moral, or intellectual character of; to debase; to bring shame or contempt upon; to disgrace; as, vice degrades a man. "O miserable mankind, to what fall Degraded, to what wretched state reserved!" (Milton) "He pride . . . Struggled hard against this degrading passion." (Macaulay) 3. To reduce in altitude or magnitude, as hills and mountains; to wear down. Synonym: To abase, demean, lower, reduce. See Abase. Origin: F. Degrader, LL. Degradare, fr. L. De- + gradus step, degree. See Grade, and cf. Degree. To degenerate; to pass from a higher to a lower type of structure; as, a family of plants or animals degrades through this or that genus or group of genera. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Degrade

deglycosylate deglycosylated deglycosylates deglycosylating deglycosylation deglycosylations degout degouts degradabilities degradability

degradable degradational degradations degradative degrade (current term) degraded degraded wetland degradedly degradement degrader

degraders degrades degrading degradingly degradomics degradosome degradosomes degranulate degranulated

Literary usage of Degrade

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Rules of Evidence as Prescribed by the Common Law: For the Trial of Actions by George William Bradner (1895)
"Every question must be answered by a witness, whether it tend to degrade him or not, if it be material to the issue, unless it tend to render him liable to ..."

2. English Usage: Studies in the History and Uses of English Words and Phrases by John Lesslie Hall (1917)
"The use of demean in the sense of "debase or degrade oneself" has some vogue in polite society in America. It is condemned however, by George Campbell, ..."

3. The Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the by Charles George Herbermann, Edward Aloysius Pace, Condé Bénoist Pallen, Thomas Joseph Shahan, John Joseph Wynne (1913)
"He refused to degrade Ridley, probably on the ground that Ridley's ... If, as Foxe asserts, he refused to degrade Latimer, his position may have been based ..."

4. Outline of Practical Sociology: With Special Reference to American Conditions by Carroll Davidson Wright (1901)
"Does the Use of Machinery degrade Labour? This position in large degree destroys the commonly ... Machinery does not degrade labour, but elevates it. 138. ..."

5. The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon (1843)
"... even in the person of a rival, thus publicly degrade the majesty of kings. Whatever treatment the unfortunate Valerian might experience in Persia, ..."

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