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degrade

[dih-grayd, dee-grayd] / dɪˈgreɪd, diˈgreɪd /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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For every $1 invested in protecting or restoring nature, about $30 still goes into activities that degrade it, according to UN figures.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

For every dollar invested in protecting or restoring nature, about $30 still goes into activities that degrade it, according to UN figures.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

Recognizing that 9/11’s horrors compounded over the years does not degrade the memory of its initial victims.

From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026

It has taken a few generations to degrade our public schools and it will take a few, if not more, to restore them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

I wished we did not have to degrade the house with our modern jig-tunes so out-of-place and unromantic.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

"This was before plastic was introduced into bank notes, it degrades," he said.

From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2026

If it degrades rapidly, that means insects are attracted to the plentiful organic matter.

From Salon ● Dec. 4, 2025

However, they are not without limitations: they are sensitive to external disturbances -- such as strong magnetic fields near a hard drive -- and their performance typically degrades over time.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 21, 2025

Ferrari also faces the risk of its EV losing value faster than its traditional models as the battery degrades.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025

A criminal ignorance, which extends itself even to the duties of humanity; which multiplies vices, which degrades reason, debases the soul, and renders man like the beasts.”

From Martyria or Andersonville Prison by Augustus C. Hamlin

They also alleged that Texas' supply of the drug had become degraded, as Pike's lawyers have similarly argued.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Midrange drones have degraded some Russian electronic-warfare systems and hobbled 300 vessels.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

If some of these satellites get hacked, damaged, derailed, or destroyed, America’s ability to fight a war would be seriously degraded.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

There are a few fun visual gags about the degraded far-future — a hospital named St. God’s, the city’s digital clock tower being stuck on a blinking 12:00 — but its punchlines tend toward nasty.

From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026

But it was better, I figured, to have Ronnie a little peeved than to have me a whole lot damaged and degraded, just because I’d let my guard down for three and one-third seconds.

From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan

That produces a different effect from existing drugs that target BCL6 by blocking or degrading it.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026

Campaigners have claimed that the sentences could amount to inhumane and degrading treatment.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

Power failures are the most acute risk, but a more insidious problem is if equipment keeps degrading more quickly than expected.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

“The experience was traumatizing, degrading and humiliating,” André said when the lawsuit was filed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

Each, I felt, was degrading, and I thought we should insist on the honorific “Mister.”

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela




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