1. to treat someone without respect or dignity; to humiliate
2. to make something worse in quality or condition; to deteriorate
3. to reduce someone to a lower rank or position
Usage: formal

Examples

• The harsh treatment was designed to degrade the prisoners.
• Pollution continues to degrade the water quality in the lake.
• The officer was degraded from captain to lieutenant.
• Constant exposure to sunlight will degrade the plastic over time.
• She refused to let anyone degrade her with insults.
• The building’s condition has degraded significantly over the years.