as in corrupt
having or showing lowered moral character or standards
many observers deplored the fact that the city's festivities for Mardi Gras had become a degraded, drunken celebration
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in reduced
to bring to a lower grade or rank
the view that such a system degrades doctors to the status of medical employees who ultimately are not in charge of their patients' health care
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deteriorated
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
degrading the school's animal mascot with a silly costume
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in humiliated
to reduce to a lower standing in one's own eyes or in others' eyes
the players degraded themselves with their crude antics off the field
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of degraded
Zeb Hogan, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2026
Regulators are concerned the system fails to adequately detect and warn drivers about degraded visibility from glare, fog, or dust.
—Keith Laing, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 28 Mar. 2026
Energy and shipping experts believe that many tankers are unlikely to feel safe making the trip through the strait — escorts or no escorts — unless either there's a formal end to the war, or Iran's ability to hit ships with drones and missiles is severely degraded.
—Joe Walsh, CBS News, 28 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for degraded
Adjective
When dams block routes, when fishing intensifies at migratory bottlenecks and when floodplains and spawning grounds are cut off or degraded, most migratory fish do not simply go somewhere else.
—Zeb Hogan, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2026
Regulators are concerned the system fails to adequately detect and warn drivers about degraded visibility from glare, fog, or dust.
—Keith Laing, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
Verb
Exterior cameras from Orion will aim to send back live footage 24/7 for much of the mission, although the image may be slightly degraded, depending on distance and data traffic.
—Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 28 Mar. 2026
Energy and shipping experts believe that many tankers are unlikely to feel safe making the trip through the strait — escorts or no escorts — unless either there's a formal end to the war, or Iran's ability to hit ships with drones and missiles is severely degraded.
—Joe Walsh, CBS News, 28 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for degraded
Recent Examples of Synonyms for degraded
Adjective
-
Smuggling — sometimes by rope, sometimes with the help of corrupt jail guards — has long been a problem at the troubled federal jail, which has been plagued by violence, horrific conditions and severe staffing shortages for years.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
No corrupt leader enriching himself and the Epstein class buddies.—
Diego Parrado,
Vanity Fair,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The character, played by Esteban Andres Cruz, has been reduced to a simpering stereotype who makes a pass at a cop and mimics a blow job.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Seen from this perspective, ecology cannot be reduced to questions of proximity alone.—
Manuela Moscoso,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Kuo believes the question of unification will inevitably be resolved during Xi’s tenure, but is concerned Xi will opt for a more aggressive approach, such as a blockade or invasion, as relations between Beijing and Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party have deteriorated.—
Stephanie Yang,
CNN Money,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Last week, Narges was finally allowed a brief visit with her sister and two lawyers, who were alarmed at how rapidly her health had deteriorated.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
At one point in his teenage years, Diaz was publicly humiliated by the football team who forcefully shaved his curly hair.—
Andrea Flores,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Walz and Ellison were humiliated and could not account for their blundering.—
Joe Soucheray,
Twin Cities,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
That leaves a sicker, older, more expensive pool of enrollees, which pushes up premiums for everyone.—
Max Klaver,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
-
As a result, many began calling in sick or quitting entirely.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Once in a rare while, a person who was once heroically famous is demoted to infamous, and his statues disappear.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Always an oddity as a planet, Pluto was demoted to dwarf planet in 2006.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Goodwill is corrupted on arrival by the modern virtue of avarice.—
Andy Andersen,
Vulture,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Helberg, cast as inventor Martin Phister, opens up about their characters who are trying to be virtuous and end up getting corrupted instead.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
At the time, an FBI expert testified that a pubic hair found at the scene matched Duckett’s, although hair microscopy has since been discredited as an unreliable forensic method.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Still, the author's main argument wasn't totally discredited.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Degraded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degraded. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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