1
as in deterioration
a change to a lower state or level
English teachers bemoaning the degradation of the language that e-mail and instant messaging have allegedly brought about
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in corruption
a sinking to a state of low moral standards and behavior
the belief that moral degradation is an unmistakable sign of a nation in decline
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of degradation
The Supreme Court handed a win Friday to oil and gas companies fighting lawsuits over coastal land loss and environmental degradation in Louisiana.
—
Lindsay Whitehurst, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026
Unlike most spirits, which can sit unopened at room temperature for years without discernible degradation, wine is a living, breathing, dare-I-say magical thing.
—Emily Saladino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 17 Apr. 2026
Immediate freezing locks in nutrients and protects against degradation.
—Jillian Kubala, Health, 13 Apr. 2026
At the moment the fog descended, Texans were rising up against environmental degradation like never before.
—Scott W. Stern, The New York Review of Books, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for degradation
Lindsay Whitehurst, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026
Unlike most spirits, which can sit unopened at room temperature for years without discernible degradation, wine is a living, breathing, dare-I-say magical thing.
—Emily Saladino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 17 Apr. 2026
Immediate freezing locks in nutrients and protects against degradation.
—Jillian Kubala, Health, 13 Apr. 2026
At the moment the fog descended, Texans were rising up against environmental degradation like never before.
—Scott W. Stern, The New York Review of Books, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for degradation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for degradation
Noun
-
Over the last decade, the parish began to lose these buildings to age, mold and deterioration.—
Desiree Mathurin
April 28,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The Swiss Eugen Bleuler, a follower of Kraepelin, replaced the term dementia praecox, which implied hopeless deterioration, with the softer term schizophrenia.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Years later, drawn into a covert network of operatives and manipulated through a web of corruption, Clay must decide whether to become the weapon he was shaped to be or dismantle the system from within.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
28 Apr. 2026
-
He was also charged in another foreign corruption case in the same court in late 2024.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The in-flight tests yielded a substantial decline in soot and ice with 100 percent SAF.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Correction-level declines occurred in 71% of those years, versus only 44% in other years.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The declinations came as the DOJ reassigned and cut prosecutors working on environmental cases.—
Ken B. Morales,
ProPublica,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Federal regulations require special counsels to provide the attorney general with a report that explain prosecution or declination decisions once their work is concluded.—
Jacob Rosen,
CBS News,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Dollar debasement Emmanuel Cau, head of European equity strategy at Barclays, expects the euro to extend recent gains against the dollar.—
Michael Considine,
CNBC,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Bakri’s face is impassive and exhausted during this casual debasement, his voice low, and his tone deadpan, as though Salim has been forced to do all this a million times before.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Degradation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/degradation. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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