degrade
Translation
to degrade, to humiliate, to break down
Examples
This pollution will degrade the water quality.
This pollution will degrade the water quality.
He would never degrade himself by cheating.
He would never degrade himself by cheating.
The plastic will slowly degrade over time.
The plastic will slowly degrade over time.
Grammar Patterns
((sth./sb.)) to make (sth./sb.) worse or less respected He felt they were trying to degrade him.
Similar Words
Synonyms: demean, cheapen, deteriorate; Antonyms: improve, enhance, praise
Etymology
From Latin 'de-' (down) + 'gradus' (step, grade). Meaning 'to bring down a step'.
Memory Tips
To 'de-grade' someone is to treat them as if they have a lower grade or rank. For materials, it means their quality grade goes down.