degrade
//dɪˈɡreɪd//
Verb
degradeInfinitive
degradePresent tense
degradedPast tense
degradedPast participle
degradingPresent participle
degradesThird-person singular
1
To lower in dignity, honor, or standing; to humiliate or demean someone.
He felt degraded by the way his boss spoke to him in front of his colleagues.
2
To reduce in quality, value, or condition; to cause something to deteriorate.
Pollution can degrade the quality of drinking water.
3
To break down or decompose chemically or biologically.
Plastic takes hundreds of years to degrade in the environment.