Meaning & use
degradation
The process of being reduced in quality, condition, or status, or the state of being treated without dignity or respect.
See it in a sentence
Years of pollution caused severe environmental degradation along the once-pristine coastline.
The prisoners suffered constant degradation, stripped of even the most basic comforts.
A note on using this word
Degradation can describe physical or environmental decline as well as the loss of a person's dignity or social standing.
Words with a similar meaning
declinedeterioration
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
improvement
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