Third-person singular present tense of degrade; to reduce in rank, status, or quality, or to treat someone with disrespect.
From Latin degradare (de- 'down' + gradus 'step/rank'). The verb originally meant literally to step down in ecclesiastical rank, then expanded to mean any loss of status or quality.
Sunlight degrades plastic into microplastics—this natural process is why ocean pollution is getting worse, but scientists are also using this knowledge to create 'photodegradable' plastics that break down faster.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.