degrade
/dɪˈɡreɪd/ (bre, ipa) · /dɪˈɡreɪd/ (ame, ipa) · /di-ˈgrād dē-/ (ame, mw)
degrade — verb
- degradepresent simple I / you / we / they
- degradeshe / she / it
- degradedpast simple
- degrading-ing form
1. to damage someone's sense of worth and dignity by treating them badly or disresp
to damage someone's sense of worth and dignity by treating them badly or disrespectfully.
Ezra felt degraded when his boss spoke rudely to him in front of everyone.
common pattern: feel degraded by [someone]
Those cruel jokes about her accent degraded Renata in front of the whole class.
Poverty can degrade a person's sense of worth over many years.
The manager's habit of shouting degraded the staff and made them afraid to speak up.
文法句型
degrade + someone / degrade + oneself
be degraded by + someone
feel degraded
用法筆記
Often used in the passive voice ('be degraded') or as a past-participle adjective ('felt degraded'). Can also be reflexive: 'degrade yourself' means to do something that lowers your own dignity.
常見錯誤
2. to damage the look, standard, or condition of something so that it becomes notic
to damage the look, standard, or condition of something so that it becomes noticeably less attractive or less good.
The old factory degraded the quality of the river water for miles downstream.
collocation: degrade + quality of [something]
Years of direct sunlight degraded the red paint on Sari's front door.
Cheap cleaning products can degrade the surface of wooden furniture over time.
The historic building was degraded by a poorly designed modern extension next to it.
文法句型
degrade + something
degrade + the quality/beauty of + something
用法筆記
Describes gradual damage that worsens appearance or quality over time, rather than sudden or complete destruction. The agent (what causes the damage) is often a natural force or environmental condition.
常見錯誤
3. to damage the strength, influence, or effectiveness of a group or system by stea
to damage the strength, influence, or effectiveness of a group or system by steadily applying pressure or criticism.
Repeated budget cuts degraded the hospital's ability to care for patients properly.
collocation: degrade + ability / degrade + effectiveness
The leader's pattern of lies degraded public trust in the government over several years.
Constant arguments among the board members degraded the charity's ability to raise funds.
A series of bad investments degraded the company's standing in the market.
- strengthen
to make an organization or system more powerful or effective
- bolster
to support or reinforce something that is under threat
文法句型
degrade + an organization/system/institution
degrade + trust/confidence/morale
用法筆記
Subject is typically an external force such as budget cuts, scandals, poor decisions, or repeated criticism. Unlike sense 1, the target here is an institution or system rather than a person's dignity.
常見錯誤
4. to reduce the working ability, signal strength, or output level of an electronic
to reduce the working ability, signal strength, or output level of an electronic device, computer network, or system, or to become reduced in this way on its own.
Running too many programs at once can degrade the computer's overall performance.
collocation: degrade + performance
The phone signal degraded as Hyun drove through the mountain tunnel.
Overheating degraded the processor speed on Yael's gaming laptop.
Old copper cables can degrade the sound quality of the whole speaker system.
文法句型
degrade + performance/signal/quality
something degrades (intransitive)
用法筆記
Can be used both transitively ('the heat degraded the signal') and intransitively ('the signal degraded'). Common in computing, telecommunications, and electronics contexts. Often describes a gradual reduction rather than sudden failure.
常見錯誤
5. when a material breaks down into smaller chemical parts, either on its own or wh
when a material breaks down into smaller chemical parts, either on its own or when exposed to conditions such as light, heat, or moisture.
The plastic bottle will degrade naturally in the soil after about fifty years.
intransitive: degrade naturally / degrade in [condition]
Sunlight helps degrade the chemicals found in some industrial cleaning products.
The enzyme in your stomach helps degrade proteins into smaller pieces during digestion.
Wet conditions caused the paper to degrade into a soft, dark pulp within weeks.
- decompose
very similar to degrade; more common for organic matter and biological processes
- break down
less formal than degrade; interchangeable in most scientific contexts
- decay
suggests a natural, gradual process of rotting or falling apart
- synthesize
to build up a complex chemical compound from simpler parts
- form
to create or compose a substance from elements or compounds
文法句型
a substance degrades (intransitive)
something degrades a substance
degrade + into + simpler parts
用法筆記
Common in environmental science, biology, and chemistry. Frequently used in the passive form ('is degraded by enzymes'). The intransitive form describes a natural process without an outside cause.
常見錯誤
6. to move to a lower path around a planet or star as time passes, usually because
to move to a lower path around a planet or star as time passes, usually because of friction from the atmosphere or the pull of gravity.
The satellite's orbit degraded slowly until the spacecraft burned up in the atmosphere.
Without regular engine burns, the station's orbit degrades by roughly two kilometres each month.
subject: orbit + degrades + measure phrase
The probe's orbit degraded after it ran out of fuel for course corrections.
Space engineers monitor old satellites closely as their orbits slowly degrade over time.
文法句型
orbit / altitude + degrades
an orbit degrades over time
用法筆記
Almost exclusively intransitive in this sense. The subject is an orbit, altitude, or trajectory. Used only in aerospace contexts. The related noun form 'orbital degradation' is more common in technical writing.