Spanish Conversation · Level 160
30 words
Spanish word
degradar
Pronunciation
IPA/deɣɾaˈðaɾ/
Meaning
- verbdegrade
Example
El ruido puede degradar la calidad del audio.
Noise can degrade the audio quality.
More examples
No debes degradar a tus compañeros por sus errores.
You should not demean your teammates for their mistakes.
Core concept
A person or thing moved down one rung on a status or quality ladder.
Common phrases
degradar a alguien
demean someone
degradar la dignidad
degrade the dignity
Similar words
humillar: Inflict shame or embarrassment that harms a person's self-respect.
despreciar: Show contempt for someone, treating them as worthless or beneath consideration.
denigrar: Disparage a person publicly to undermine their reputation or credibility.
rebajar: Decrease someone's status or treatment, reducing their rank, pay, or privileges.
Definition in Spanish
Hacer que algo o alguien pierda calidad, valor o posición; también tratar a una persona con desprecio o humillarla.
Word origin
From Latin degradare, from de- 'down' and gradus 'step', originally 'to move down a step' and now used for lowering quality, value, or rank.
Usage tips
- In everyday speech, humillar or insultar is more common for insulting someone, while degradar sounds more formal and fits official demotion or technical loss of quality.
Other meanings
- lowerverb
- insultverb
Opposites
- enaltecerexaltverb
- respetarrespectverb
Related words
- degradacióndegradationnoun
- degradantedegradingadjective