Dictionary Entry
degradation
Part of SpeechnounPronunciation/ˌdɛɡɹəˈdeɪʃən/Word FrequencyCommon (4.52)Curriculum FrequencyLess common (1)The act of reducing in rank, character, or reputation, or of abasing; a lowering from one's standing or rank in office or society
In a Sentence
“The constant criticism led to the employee's degradation in the eyes of his colleagues.”
Published Usage Examples
“Protein degradation is a major cause of ageing and can be the result of attacks on proteins by other molecules.”
“It was first believed that controlled protein degradation is used only to destroy faulty proteins, which may otherwise damage the cell.”
This entry also appears in ReadingWillow Year 10 word lists, so students can move between the dictionary and year-level study sets.
Origin
Late Middle English from Old French degradation, from Latin de- 'down' + gradus 'step'.
Common Phrases
Synonyms
Related Words
Poetry examples for “degradation”
Excerpts from the ReadingWillow English Library collection.
Poetry examples are still being gathered for this entry. They will appear here once matching poems are available in the library.
